Online
publication only
It might be interesting to examine
the title, "Aiming for Natural Childbirth," in a dictionary
definition form:
natural
- of nature, spontaneous, not disguised or altered, [Latin: related
to *nature].
nature
- innate qualities, physical power causing, by reproduction, all
material phenomena. [Latin: related to *natal]
natal -
of or from one's birth. [Latin: natalis]
Putting all the above together, without
mincing words, natural childbirth is the inherent outcome of sex,
conception, and pregnancy without interference. Childbirth is a
natural life experience and not a sickness. However, in all cultures,
the process of reproduction has its "highs" and "lows"
from sterility, ectopic pregnancies,1 abortions,2
still births, death of mother and baby from situations like placenta
praevia,3 tragedies caused by drugs, anaesthetics, medical
malpractice, problems like post-natal infections and depression,
and a host of problems outside the scope of article limits to almost
pain-free births of much loved "perfect" children with
no apparent problems, along with abundant emotional, physical, and
financial support.
There are no perfect societies, people, or parents, and therefore,
there is no such thing as perfect natural childbirth.4 While some
people come very close to it, the majority fall far short. Fortunately,
one of the hormones actively involved in birth, oxytocin, is also
thought to be responsible for the diminished ability to remember
pain intensity after birth. Oxytocin is made from amino acids, and
it is important not to be protein-deficient or dehydrated because
protein assimilation is water-dependent. Protein deficiency and
dehydration could be a contributing factor in why some women have
a lower pain threshold in labor.
Within this context, the nearest any of us can get to natural childbirth
is to look realistically at our individual situations and then prepare
well before conception for the best possible outcome. By this, I
mean stock-taking of both potential parents on an emotional and
physical basis and correcting anything within the limits of personal
control. Where potential for pre-conception preparation has already
passed, individual assessment can be done from where you are right
now, and course corrections can be made. There are well-known factors
associated with virtually all health problems, including those associated
with conception, pregnancy, and birth. Almost all come into three
broad categories on a physical level as seen below:
Re-hydration, detoxification,
and nutrition are the three most important aspects of physical care
for any baby, via its potential parents, before conception if possible.
Considering why one is planning on having children, along with communicating
and agreeing about principles of caring for them, are equally important
but different aspects of parenthood not covered in this article.
Adequate pure water and unrefined sea salt6 are essential for health,
whether pregnant or not. Humans consist of over 70% water, and without
water and electrolytes (ionic salts that give cells energy potential),
we cannot be healthy or have enough energy for normal living. This
fluid is necessary for metabolism, growth and repair, energy, efficient
digestion, brain activity, and maintenance of pregnancy.
One of the early symptoms
of dehydration in pregnancy is early morning sickness. One of the
latter symptoms of dehydration is raised blood pressure and edema
of the ankles, fingers, and face, as the body clings onto every
ounce of water for detoxification purposes during the night. Fatigue
and peri-naval pain in later pregnancy can also be symptoms of dehydration
as the main meridian points around the naval are susceptible to
"bio-electrical thirst." Hiccups in the baby in the womb
can also be a sign of this.
In water shortage, the body has a priority water-rationing system,7
and maternal digestion is given priority because only the stomach
can tolerate hydrochloric acid. And, if the stomach contents were
to be released into the duodenum without enough watery bicarbonates
to alkalize the acid liquid, ulceration would result. Therefore,
fluid is even taken from the blood, raising the blood pressure,
in order to keep the digestive tract undamaged. This in turn gives
rise to heartburn and even vomiting, if necessary, rather than to
intestinal "burn-out." These symptoms should be taken
as a very serious warning that dehydration is urgently in need of
correction. Diuretic drugs given to reduce fluid retention in ankles
and fingers work against natural physiology and can escalate potential
problems in pregnancy and birth.
The process of labor has a bio-electrical aspect that is negatively
affected if water supply is inadequate. All cells are like tiny
batteries, and we know what happens when a car battery runs dry.
In cases of apparently uneventful and efficient first stage labor,
it is often confusingly interrupted by a vaginal examination when
full cervical dilation is suspected and checks are done as routine
when the mother gets the impulse to "push" or to preclude
a cervical lip caused by laboring in a position other than upright,
causing uneven pressure on the cervix by the descending baby's head.
For apparently unexplained reasons, contractions become very slow
or even stop, and the mother ends up with a Ventouse, forceps, or
Caesarean delivery. The unexplained complications, along with natural
fatigue of first-stage labor, can add fear, panic, and release of
hormones not conducive to labor, which will increase the pain and
potential for further complications. Laboring upright can reduce
the almost "neurotic exhortations" to add to the natural
pushing of the second stage of labor. This learned "encouragement"
of extra pushing is rarely questioned by students during orthodox
training. It is not necessary and can be potentially dangerous especially
in a severely dehydrated person. There is no place in natural childbirth
for impatience, providing all is well with mother and baby.
What would cause a vaginal examination to stop or slow down labor
and bring about potential problems that were not evident in the
first stage? Interference with the delicately precise nervous and
electrical impulses controlling the cervix and uterus could be prevented
by four simple steps:
- a state of hydration maintained during pregnancy and labor
- attention to pH/sugar balance during labor
- laboring upright (even if upon knees in a cushion bed where
labor has prevented sleep)
- avoidance of vaginal examination unless there is a very clear
call for one
This is a sound area of consideration
for all those who want to get as close as possible to natural childbirth.
Where a vaginal examination during labor is deemed essential, being
in a state of hydration and laboring upright will diminish the intensity
of potential interference.
Dehydration occurs where the following exists:
(1) too little water intake
(2) excessive water output
(3) inefficient cellular water uptake
Inefficient uptake is commonly caused
by toxicity, with heavy metal toxicity from amalgam dental fillings
being a chief culprit but not the only one. Replacement of amalgams
to ensure no further intake of heavy metals and a detoxification
course to diminish the amount already absorbed is a very wise course
of action, and if the detoxification is done carefully using herbs,
nutrition, and homeopathic remedies especially (amalgam nosode and
personally tailored nosodes according to individual toxin history),
this can even benefit the growing fetus. The more the heavy metal
load is diminished, the greater potential for rehydration and efficient
uptake of nutrition from food, supplements, and herbs, beneficial
to both mother and baby.
Amalgam replacement must be done properly, especially if the removal
of amalgams is done during pregnancy (not the first three months)
or breast-feeding, because there will be potential for a small influx
during actual removal even with a proper strict dental protocol.
After amalgam replacement, there is no further continuous intake
of heavy metals, and this is obviously of far greater benefit than
a small potential blip during removal. White fillings, which do
not contain fluoride8 (another toxic material), should be considered
rather than gold, as this is still a metal containing other mixed
metals that cause problems and generate electrical currents. The
mouth should not contain metals or the electrical currents those
metals generate. Exposure to radiation, for instance, in the use
of mobile phones, can enhance leakage from amalgam fillings (or
sleeping over a negative radiation source), and this should be a
point of consideration especially for those who are pregnant or
who miscarry for unidentified reasons.
Be wary of any treatments during the
first three months of pregnancy, including ultrasound scans, which
are merely presumed to be safe.
Chorionic Gonadotrophin (CG) is
a hormone made by the placenta. This maintains progesterone levels
to allow pregnancy to continue. CG is also a tumor marker because
the only other cells that produce this hormone are certain cancer
cells. Ultrasound has been used to destroy cancer cells, and because
the placenta initially also acts like a "tumor growth"
whilst embedding in the uterine wall, ultrasound could have devastating
effects upon pregnancy in the first three months. Cancer cells are
also immature, and immature cells of the developing baby could also
be negatively affected by ultrasound. I do not know of any data
logging those who miscarry after early ultrasound, and where this
has happened, it is not usually attributed to the actual cause.
However, some scientists9 are calling for proof that ultrasound
scans are safe and also calling for measures in standardization
of ultrasound intensity and length of scan, whereas others are retracting
research facilities where ultrasound safety is brought to light
as questionable.
Nutritional deficiencies have to be considered, along with dehydration
and essential minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids that
cannot be synthesized within the body should be of adequate intake
levels from dietary sources.10 A natural dilution in iron status
is normal during pregnancy and breast-feeding, and attempts to boost
this to an artificial non-pregnant status should be avoided.
Where dehydration and toxicity have been established from childhood
(that is, in most of us!), amalgam removal and a long-term detoxification
protocol will give the best potential for uptake of nutrition. Certain
"foods" take from our nutrient profile to process those
nutrients and get rid of them. In this way, these are not only empty
foods but "negative nutrients." Refined sugar is a chief
among negative nutrients, but refined foods in general are not healthy
and neither are foods containing chemicals, additives especially
excitotoxins, preservatives, flavorings, colorings, and ingredients
hiding hormones, steroids, and water toxins. Also, industrial grade
sodium chloride6 is detrimental to health along with chlorine, fluoride,
heavy metals, and other toxins, such as the multiple hormones (which
are not removed water-processing plants) in tap water.
A diet based on pure water,11 unrefined sea salt,6 and unrefined
foods, which include all the essential amino acids, fatty acids,
vitamins, and minerals, with a healthy appetite is the best health
insurance for the breast-feeding mother and baby. It is a big mistake
to think that chips, cake, and chocolate are forbidden foods. The
big mistake is to make them with the wrong ingredients. Chips should
be made with organic potatoes and coconut or olive oil, because
these oils do not become carcinogenic when heated like most other
oils and not cooked in an aluminium pan.
Cake, in moderation, when made with the
right ingredients including, for example, organic dairy-free chocolate,
is healthy and delicious. The problems with chocolate are the chemicals
used in cocoa production, pasteurized milk, artificial flavorings,
and white sugar. Unpasteurized whole goat's milk is ideal for drinking
and adding to recipes. Unpasteurized organic creams, yoghurts, and
cheeses are full of enzymes that are needed for their digestion
and can be added to melted dark chocolate to make scrumptious cake
or flapjack toppings. Microwaved foods are dead and treated like
"sludge" to be eliminated by the body. Finding a supermarket
selling foods with healthy ingredients, indeed, would be like finding
Aladdin's Cave, but, sadly, even most health stores sell products
with processed fats, sugar, flour, and additives in most products,
even if they are originally organic. Irradiation of organic produce
is also something to be aware of in imported foods.
The first few hours of life for a breast-fed baby ensures adequate
intake of colostrums, which contains perfectly tailored nutrients
to start the baby's digestive tract and get immune system working.
Giving dextrose, water, or animal milk to babies because the "mother's
milk isn't yet in" is one of the most ignorant follies against
our infants, (ignorant, because of lack of knowledge, not bad motives).
A great benefit parents can pass to their children is to feed them
properly.12
Breast-feeding requires a greater maternal intake of water and nutrition
than normal, and complications caused by dehydration and malnutrition
can be avoided. The brain is over 80% water. Depression can be caused
by a severe case of simple dehydration, and it is particularly important
to address this in a temporarily hormonally-unstable and vulnerable
new mother.
Colic12 of the newborn, if understood and corrected early, will
also alleviate much parental suffering and sleeplessness as well
as suffering for the baby. The two main culprits of colic in newborn,
breast-feeding babies are amalgam and cow's milk via breast milk.
This problem is compounded if the mother is dehydrated. A later
complication is added with vaccination.13
- Aiming for natural childbirth is actively
aiming to give your offspring and yourselves the best possible
outcome in adding to your family. Have confidence in yourselves
as parents and gather family support. Prepare well ahead of time
if possible and seek counsel from experts and experienced parents.
- Being realistic and informed are two
advantages needed to ensure that you aim as accurately as possible
without any sting in the tail for doing so. Research from multiple
sources and be aware of how to interpret research findings.14
- Most prospective parents do not realize
that they are responsible for their own choices in childbirth,
because, in general, we are conditioned by cultures controlled
by economics via fear and conformity. However, parents still make
the choices even if they are choices by default.
- Avoid routine procedures and don't
anticipate problems, but do become informed about avenues you
would choose to use if you were in the position of needing them
well before any possibility of being at that stage. Thankfully,
experts are available as parental information and support sources,
but such experts are not meant to usurp individual and parental
authority. Choose carers who will respect your wishes and work
with you.
© V Bradshaw-Black
1996
Vivienne Bradshaw-Black
viv@ichc.co.uk
44 8450533143
Notes
1. A pregnancy in which the fertilized
ovum implants outside of the uterine wall, usually in the Fallopian
tube (also called tubal pregnancy)
2. The premature ending of a pregnancy before the baby is able to
survive due to spontaneous causes (miscarriage or spontaneous abortion)
or deliberately induced (abortion)
3. Where the placenta is low-lying in the uterus and in its worst
severity can cause life-threatening bleeding for mother and baby
and prevent vaginal birth. However, where this is suspected, ultrasound
scanning in later pregnancy can identify this problem and an elective
Caesarian section can be performed.
4. For those who want a Biblical perspective, the problems of childbirth
(like male chauvinism) were seen as a curse, a result of the original
sin (Gen 3:16), which was removed in Christ (Gal 3:13, 1Tim 2:15).
5. Brain-mediated harmony refers to the hypothalamic output in cycles
per second and its effects on the endocrine system, etc.
6. Bradshaw-Black V. Unrefined sea salt vs. industrial grade sodium
chloride. TLDP.
February/March 2004.
7. Batmanghelidj F. Available at: http://www.watercure.com.
Accessed February 28, 2008.
8. Bradshaw-Black V. Fluoride. In
Touch (with Kinesiology) Magazine.
Winter 2003;15.
9. Uhlig, R. Ultrasound scans may harm unborn babies. Available
at:
http://www.compleatmother.com/ultrasound_danger.htm
and
http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/?p=534.
Accessed February 28, 2008.
10. Bradshaw-Black V. Diet & nutrition principles … essential
amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamin C, etc. TLDP.
December 2002;233.
11. Bradshaw-Black V. Dehydration just lack of water?
12. Bradshaw-Black V. Infant feeding. TLDP.
January 2002; 222.
13. Vaccination Information Internet Resources. Available at:
http://www.holisticmed.com/www/vaccine.html
http://www.clovelly.org.uk/documents/caseagainst.html
http://www.whale.to/v/hadwen.html
Bradshaw-Black V. Detoxification. TLDP.
June 2000;203.
14. Bradshaw-Black V. From Adverse
Radiation and Its Effects on Health:
Be
diligent to get information from various sources and don't rely
on research carried out only by those with vested interests. Research
has a purpose and whoever pays the researcher will want them to
fulfill a specified purpose. For instance, a company might pay
researchers to prove that ..... (whatever). The researchers will
do just that and not look at the research commission from any
other angle. Other companies with opposite interests might employ
the same researchers to prove the contrary ..... (opposite to
whatever). The researchers will then look at the commission from
this opposite angle and no other. This is why there are so many
seemingly contradictory pieces of research, not only about adverse
radiation but also other health topics such as mercury fillings,
soy products, vitamins, etc. Those who manufacture amalgam fillings
will fund research to prove that there are no health risks from
mercury in amalgams. They will certainly not fund research to
prove the opposite, but those who have suffered from mercury toxicity
or have no vested interest in the manufacture of amalgam might
well fund, carry out, or even stumble across research to prove
that mercury from amalgams is toxic.
To avoid total confusion over
the implications of quoted research papers, it is very important
to understand the premise upon which research is based. We also
need to be unbiased and consider all aspects of a topic realising
that, invariably, there are other factors involved also. Understanding
the most accurate interpretation from research requires a compilation
of all information from all angles of a topic along with knowledge
of who funds what. It is important to be able to "read between
the lines," appreciate that available money is in the hands
of the "big," and keep things in balance.
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