tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90851858655857610722024-02-20T01:30:09.932-08:00Elevated Journeys to New World BirthingHelping to liberate pregnant women via true holistic education on the enduring health benefits of natural childbirthing for baby and family.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085185865585761072.post-11653348702430180982010-07-18T22:30:00.000-07:002010-07-18T22:33:44.507-07:00The Questionable Safety of Prenatal Ultrasound<div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">by Melissa-Marie Marks</span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>The Questionable Safety of Prenatal Ultrasound</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">In the age of medical miracles and life-saving technology, the majority of women in</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">industrialized countries would not even imagine going through their pregnancies without</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">receiving at least one ultrasound scan. Indeed, the first ultrasound is often seen as a sort of rite</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">of passage into motherhood, with the photo printout of the baby in the womb serving as the</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">trophy. But what if pregnant women were warned of the potential dangers of ultrasound and</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">doppler use? What if their health care providers accurately explained both the risks and the</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">benefits of prenatal ultrasound? If all women were told all of the facts about the effects of</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">ultrasound waves on the developing fetus, I believe many would choose to abstain from</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">ultrasound exposure during pregnancy. It is the responsibility and duty of maternity care</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">providers to present this information to their clients.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>What is ultrasound?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Ultrasound scanning uses ultra-high frequency sound waves traveling at 10 to 20 million</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">cycles per second to create a picture from a pattern of echo waves. The ultrasound waves are</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">emitted by a transducer or ultrasound probe, which is the part of the ultrasound machine that is</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">put directly onto the body. Routine ultrasound scans use pulses of ultrasound waves that last a</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">fraction of a second while doppler ultrasound, used to detect fetal heart tones (FHTs), use</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">continuous ultrasound waves (Buckley 2005).</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>When and why is ultrasound used during pregnancy?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Pregnant women and their growing fetuses are generally exposed to ultrasound waves on</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">approximately 12 or more different occasions through doppler use to detect FHTs at routine</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">prenatal appointments, and at least once as part of a routine ultrasound scan at around 18 to 20</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">weeks to obtain an estimated due date, to detect possible genetic abnormalities, and to determine</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">the position of the placenta. A 3<span style="font: normal normal normal 8px/normal Helvetica;">rd </span>trimester ultrasound scan may be used to determine fetal</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">position, to re-check placental placement, and/or to diagnose Intra-Uterine Growth Retardation</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">(IUGR) through a series of 3<span style="font: normal normal normal 8px/normal Helvetica;">rd </span>trimester ultrasound scans (Buckley 2005). Growing in popularity</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">are so-called “ultrasound booths” which can be found in malls or at baby fairs and offer parents</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">the opportunity to purchase keepsake ultrasound photos. The staff that performs these nonmedically-</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">indicated keepsake ultrasound scans does not have to be medically trained in the usage</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">of ultrasound equipment, and these ultrasound booths have already been banned in some states.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>Has ultrasound been proven to be safe?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Because of widespread and physician-recommended use of prenatal ultrasound, it is</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">generally assumed to be safe for both the pregnant mother and her unborn fetus. However, two</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">factors involved in the proposed safety of ultrasound include the dosage of ultrasound received</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">by the fetus along with the skill of the operator. Yet there are no national or international</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">standards for the output characteristics of ultrasound equipment, and there is currently no</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">mandatory training or certification for medical users of ultrasound apparatus (Wagner 1999).</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">What exactly does this mean? UK radiologist H.D. Meire summed it up quite well in 1987 after</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">having performed prenatal ultrasound scans for 20 years:</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">“The casual observer might be forgiven for wondering why the medical profession is now</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">involved in the wholesale examination of pregnant patients with machines emanating vastly</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">different powers of energy which is not proven to be harmless to obtain information which is not</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">proven to be of any clinical value by operators who are not certified as competent to perform the</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">operations.” (Buckley 2005).</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Simply put, ultrasound waves have never been proven to be safe for the developing fetus.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization, “[…] health technologies should be</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">thoroughly evaluated prior to their widespread use. Ultrasound screening during pregnancy is</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">now in widespread use without sufficient evaluation. Research has demonstrated its</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">effectiveness for certain complications of pregnancy, but the published material does not justify</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">the routine use of ultrasound in pregnant women. There is also insufficient information with</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">regard to the safety of ultrasound use during pregnancy. There is as yet no comprehensive,</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">multidisciplinary assessment of ultrasound use during pregnancy, including: clinical</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">effectiveness, psychosocial effects, ethical considerations, legal implications, cost benefit, and</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">safety.” (WHO 1984).</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>The Potential Dangers of Ultrasound</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><i>Miscarriage. </i></b>According to at least three separate studies, pregnant women who received</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">two or more ultrasound scans during pregnancy had an increased risk of miscarriage (Beech</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">1999). In one of these studies (a large randomized controlled trial from Helsinki) over 9,000</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">women were divided randomly into two groups: the members of the first group received an</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">ultrasound scan between sixteen and twenty weeks. The members of the second group received</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">no scan. The results of this study revealed that there were twenty miscarriages in the first group</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><i>after </i>the ultrasound scan, and no miscarriages in the second group (Saari-Kemppainen et al.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">1990). According to Beech, pregnant patients are not the only women at risk, however.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Physiotherapists who employ ultrasound therapy in their practice(s) are also at an increased risk</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">of spontaneous abortion (Taskinen et al. 1990).</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><i>Intra-Uterine Growth Retardation. </i></b>In one large, randomized, controlled trial conducted</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">in 1993, 1,415 pregnant women received an ultrasound scan at 18, 24, 28, 34, and 38 weeks</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">gestation while the other half of the group, 1,419 pregnant women received only one ultrasound</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">scan at 18 weeks gestation. The alarming results revealed that the group that received multiple</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">scans had a 30% increased risk of delivering an infant with intra-uterine growth retardation</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">(Newnham, J. et al. 1993).</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><i>Indications of damage to the developing brain. </i></b>Studies have shown that prenatal</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">ultrasound can lead to dyslexia, delayed speech development, and an increase in the incidence of</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">left-handedness (Buckley 2005). One specific study examining the effect of ultrasound exposure</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">on pregnant mice found that “…exposure of the embryonic mouse to [ultrasound waves] can</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">affect neuronal migration in the cerebral cortex and thereby prevent some neurons from attaining</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">their final proper position.” How is this study involving mice relevant to human fetuses? The</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">researchers state that “…the principal ultrasound beam characteristics (beam width, timeaveraged</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">intensity, and mechanical and thermal indices) used in this study were well within</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">clinical norms for fetal exams.” (Ang, E.S., Jr., et al. 2006).</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>Do the benefits of prenatal ultrasound outweigh the risks?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Diagnostic ultrasound has proven to be incredibly useful when used in investigating a</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">suspected problem in pregnancy such as non-reassuring fetal heart tones or decreased fetal</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">movement. In regards to the routine use of ultrasound in pregnancy, however, the American</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states, “In a population of women with low-risk</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">pregnancies, neither a reduction in perinatal morbidity [harm to babies around the time of birth]</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">and mortality nor a lower rate of unnecessary interventions can be expected from routine</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">diagnostic ultrasound. Thus ultrasound should be performed for specific indications in low-risk</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">pregnancy.” (Buckley 2005). Furthermore, a randomized trial conducted by the RADIUS Study</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Group in 1993 concluded that routine screening ultrasound did not improve perinatal outcome as</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">compared with selective use of ultrasound per clinician orders (Ewigman, B.G. et al. 1993).</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>Are there alternatives to ultrasound and doppler use in maternity care?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Midwives and other maternity care providers can offer many alternative procedures to</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">pregnant women wishing to forego ultrasound scanning and doppler use.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><i>Fetal Heart Tone detection: </i></b>Before handheld dopplers were affordable enough for every</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">maternity care provider, the fetoscope was the tool of choice in detecting fetal heart tones</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">(FHTs). FHTs can be heard with the fetoscope at around 18 weeks gestation, compared to the</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">doppler which can pick up FHTs as early as 12 weeks gestation. However, the detection of</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">FHTs via doppler ultrasound before 18 weeks gestation has never been proven to improve</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">perinatal outcome and, as stated throughout this paper, may actually cause harm. The fetoscope</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">poses absolutely no threat to the developing fetus and as such, maternity care providers can listen</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">to FHTs for the length of time needed to obtain an accurate FHT baseline without worrying</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">about any potential dangers to the unborn child.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><i>Accurate dating: </i></b>When it comes to determining a woman’s estimated due date (EDD), midwives</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">and other maternity care providers must learn to trust their pregnant clients as well as their own</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">skills. When women are sure of the date of their last menstrual period (LMP), it is important for</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">their overall health, happiness, and emotional well-being to feel listened to and trusted by their</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">maternity care provider. If the pregnant woman knows an approximate time or a range of dates</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">of her LMP, the midwife can compare that date range with other clinical findings, such as results</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">of a bimanual examination and/or consecutive fundal height measurements, to pinpoint an</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">estimated due date. Maternity care providers must always keep in mind that regardless of how</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">the estimated due date was established (whether by ultrasound, LMP, uterine size, or ovulation</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">date), it is still just an estimate, and all fetuses develop at their own rate.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><i>Placental placement: </i></b>Routine ultrasound scans are often used to determine the placement of the</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">placenta within the uterine cavity. However, most routine scans are performed at around 18-20</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">weeks; this is a time in gestation where if placenta previa is diagnosed, 19 out of 20 cases will</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">have resolved (the placentas move up with the growing uterus) by the end of term. Furthermore,</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">the detection of placenta previa prenatally has not been found to be safer than detection of</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">placenta previa in labor (Buckley 2005).</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><i>Fetal positioning: </i></b>Client education may prove to be the most useful tool the maternity care</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">provider can use in determining fetal position. Clients should be educated on the importance of</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">optimal fetal positioning and how to prepare both the maternal and fetal body for labor and birth.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Clients can utilize posture and perform specific exercises to allow their unborn fetus the time</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">necessary to adjust to being in the optimal occiput anterior position. Midwives and other</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">maternity care providers can become skilled at using their hands and the fetoscope to determine</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">the position of the fetus.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>The Right to Informed Consent</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">During the process of researching the topics presented in this paper, much conversation</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">was brought up regarding a “woman’s choice”. The current school of thought in modern</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">midwifery and obstetrical care seems to assume that the use of obstetrical ultrasound and</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">handheld dopplers will not decrease in number because pregnant women: a) want reassurance</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">that the baby is developing normally and b) to find out the gender of the baby. It is so very</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">important to understand, however, that these women often have absolutely no idea that there is</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">some risk involved with ultrasound scans and doppler use. Pregnant women often trust their</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">maternity care providers with not only the lives of their unborn babies, but with their own lives,</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">as well. When this level of trust is involved in a healthcare setting, most women will not</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">question the safety of any recommendation(s) the healthcare provider makes.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Midwives are often strong proponents of “informed consent”; that is, they believe that</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">women have a right to know the risks and benefits of all tests and procedures before performing</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">or referring for said test or procedure. Without being aware of these risks and benefits, a woman</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">cannot make a truly informed decision that is based on current research findings. Midwives and</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">other maternity care providers have a duty to their clients to keep up to date on the most current</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">research and to present all findings to their clients. Indeed, the World Health Organization</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">“strongly endorses the principle of informed choice with regard to technology use. The healthcare</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">providers have the moral responsibility: fully to inform the public about what is known and</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">not known about ultrasound scanning during pregnancy; and fully to inform each woman prior to</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">an ultrasound examination as to the clinical indication for ultrasound, its hoped-for benefit, its</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">potential risk, and alternative available, if any.” (WHO 1984).</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">When a woman pregnant with a female baby is exposed to ultrasound waves, her baby</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">daughter’s ovaries and eggs are also exposed. This creates two subsequent generations of</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">women exposed to ultrasound waves without their consent. First, do no harm.</div><div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">References</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Ang, E.S., Jr., et al. (2006). Prenatal exposure to ultrasound waves impacts neuronal migration in</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">mice. <i>PNAS, 103(34): 12903-10.</i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Beech, B. (1999). Ultrasound: Weighing the propaganda against the facts. <i>Midwifery Today, 51.</i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Buckley, S. (2005). <i>Ultrasound scans – cause for concern. </i>Retrieved from</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">http://www.sarahjbuckley.com</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Ewigman, B.G. et al. and RADIUS study group. (1993). Effect of prenatal ultrasound screening</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">on perinatal outcome. <i>New England Journal of Medicine, 329, 12.</i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Newnham, J. et al. (1993). Effects of frequent ultrasound during pregnancy: A randomized</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">controlled trial. <i>The Lancet</i>, <i>342, 887-90.</i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Rodgers, C. (2006). Questions about prenatal ultrasound and the alarming increase in autism.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><i>Midwifery Today, 80.</i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Saari-Kemppainen et al. (1990). Ultrasound screening and perinatal mortality: controlled trial of</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">systematic one-stage screening in pregnancy. <i>The Lancet, 336, 387-91.</i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Taskinen, H. et al. (1990). Effects of ultrasound, shortwaves, and physical exertion on pregnancy</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">outcome in physiotherapists. <i>Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 44, 196-</i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><i>201.</i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Wagner, M. (1999). Ultrasound: More harm than good? <i>Midwifery Today, 50.</i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">World Health Organization. (1984). Diagnostic ultrasound in pregnancy: WHO view on routine</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">screening. <i>The Lancet, 2.</i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><i>Melissa-Marie Marks is a student at the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery</i><br />
<i>Copyright Melissa-Marie Marks 2010</i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085185865585761072.post-623882115537641102010-07-13T21:55:00.001-07:002010-07-13T21:55:18.755-07:00So Much Love ...<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xyEGrDGeixc&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xyEGrDGeixc&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085185865585761072.post-12418989144199809132010-07-13T21:54:00.000-07:002010-07-13T21:54:22.122-07:00A Mother's Voice of Serenity and Song Brings a Baby Peacefully Into this World<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/z3WA9iHz5ww&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/z3WA9iHz5ww&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085185865585761072.post-68068314019770725392010-07-13T21:52:00.000-07:002010-07-13T21:52:20.621-07:00Safe Births Could Cut Violent Crime Rate<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Safe+births+'could+cut+violent+crime+rate'.-a015657078">Better health care for pregnant women in inner cities could cut violent crime</a> by more than 20% in the next generation, reported Adrian Raine, a psychologist at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco. The results of a study linking avoidable birth complications to adult violence show the importance of healthy and safe births in reducing the violent crime rate. “It is indisputably the case that biological factors do predispose to violence… Birth complications predispose to adult criminal violence. These complications are things like breech birth, forceps, delivery and bleeding.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the rest of this article, please click on link in first line of paragraph above.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085185865585761072.post-31142854537682068092010-07-13T21:49:00.001-07:002010-07-13T21:49:38.495-07:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="quote" style="margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don’t ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the horizon and passes through, carrying the child with it.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">”</span></span><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><tbody style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
<tr style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px; width: 1px;" valign="top"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">—</span></td><td class="quote_source" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" valign="top"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sheryl Feldman</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085185865585761072.post-47107153643064044212010-07-13T21:42:00.001-07:002010-07-13T21:59:41.461-07:00Birthing A Baby Is A Selfless Act<div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">by Purusha K. Radha</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How we bring children into the world has more to do with the way they blossom into adulthood than we realize. The adults they become make up the painted canvas of our world. Is our world peaceful and serene? I think you’ll agree though it has large patches of peace and serenity, there’s an awful lot of chaos, too—more than any of us would like. </span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Children are our future,” is a phrase we banter around quite superficially. It sounds like a very wise statement but do we really </span><em style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">get</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> it?</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To be born in a hospital setting as if our entrance into the world were a possible catastrophe in the making is a complete paradox to the exquisite event of the human birth miracle, another holy incarnation onto this planet! Force, fear and impersonality are most often written into the opening scene of a new human’s life. I was raised to feel secure in this system of beliefs but somewhere along the way I began to question it and once you begin questioning, answers come!</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By the time I conceived a child, I viewed birth as much more than adding another member to the family. I saw it as a sacred, very natural experience in which I was cooperating with the Divine to bring another light being into the world. I realized it was my job to allow my child’s birth experience to be the most beautiful, supernal one possible. I knew it was my patent responsibility to foster my son’s remembrance of his Divinity by always providing him an ambiance that would encourage this realization, and that it should begin not only at birth but as soon as I knew I had conceived.</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These things became a ‘given’ in my consciousness so it is always surprising to me when people say I was brave to give birth without anesthetics and at home. I was someone who fainted at the sight of blood or any wave of intense feelings of anxiety. I wasn’t the physical picture of robustness either. Courage never even entered into it, but love and selflessness did—love for my son from the very first instant and devotion to the Divine.</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Although we cannot place complete responsibility on the kind of birth experience we provide for our newborn, I feel the one we create sets a tone for the lifetime about to play out. If parents are passionate about clearing the way for a birthing that is holistic, natural and holy, it follows that the family home will be one of peace, gentleness and sharing. If a newborn baby child feels warmth and intimacy all around her in her first moments on earth, she is probably more likely to re-create the same throughout her life and those fortunate to know her will benefit. Who knows the energetics that are placed in motion for the growing child and family because a conscious birth experience was chosen?</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We continue to place band-aids on the suffering and injustice in the world. While we do the best we can in healing our grown up selves and helping others to do the same, those of us who are bearing children can help effect a real, holistic cure for our suffering planet, one baby at a time. I am convinced we can one day step into a glowing, loving planet dedicated to equanimity for all if more and more parents come to recognize their sacred responsibility and privilege of providing a nurturing, reverential and sublime welcome for our new advanced beings flying to planet earth at this time.</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">— Purusha, Publisher, </span><a href="http://www.ReadVelocity.com/" style="color: #444444; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Velocity Magazine"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Velocity Magazine,</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Central Florida</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Copyright 2010</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085185865585761072.post-25596319809233339202010-07-13T21:41:00.001-07:002010-07-13T21:41:23.632-07:00<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="quote" style="margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Women’s bodies have their own wisdom, and a system of birth refined over 100,000 generations is not so easily overpowered.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">”</span></span><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><tbody style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
<tr style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px; width: 1px;" valign="top"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">—</span></td><td class="quote_source" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" valign="top"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sarah Buckley</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085185865585761072.post-18082236080026581802010-07-13T21:29:00.000-07:002010-07-13T22:05:38.673-07:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.6em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Balanced Pregnancy</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">by Kateyah Kapashah, Doula, LMT</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.6em;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As I continue to immerse myself in the process of birth, spirituality is present. What a mystical journey it is!</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.6em;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From the love-making experience to the moments of labor and delivery, to creating a new way of being, we move up and down the chakric system, cleansing and clearing away pieces of the past that no longer resonate with us, creating space for this new life to emerge.</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.6em;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All this occurs instantly and simultaneously on many levels for a pregnant woman: physically, mentally and emotionally. It is important to keep the energy flowing and the chakras clear during this process. Everything we say and do—all our experiences—affect the baby in the womb. It is all energy. We are all energy. Emotional stress is something a new mother must manage as many new things are occurring for her within and without. Finding safe and drug-free ways to move through emotions will create peace for you, your baby, your environment and the world. The father/partner must also be in balance so that the baby enjoys a balanced, light-filled environment.</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.6em;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chakras are body centers energetically connected to the endocrine system and can assist, through intention and by managing stress, in the energetic movement of hormones within the body. Each chakra resonates with certain emotions and behaviors causing the energy to move freely or sluggishly. Doing yoga, deep breathing or receiving massage or energy clearing during pregnancy helps us move forward with the new life growing within and also with the many outer life changes during pregnancy and after delivery. Massage assists by bringing relaxation to the physical body, calming the emotional body and freeing the mind from negative thinking that causes most of our stress. Bringing ourselves into the moment will keep us connected to our breath, which will assist us in peacefully moving through anything that throws us off our center.</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.6em;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whether you are birthing a baby or some other new creation in your life, I pray that the love of the Universe wraps itself around you and brings you peace.</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.6em;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">— Kateyah, Doula (Natural Childbirthing Support), Massage Therapist</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.6em;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Copyright 2010</span></div></div></span></div></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0