La SUITE
Birth: there are many different ways and methods to give birth. There is the
Leboyer method of gentle birth, Lamaaze, the Brasilian method of squatting,
water births and the Caucasian method of lying on the back. In the US births
accompanied by midwifes have a greater safety record then hospital births.
In the hospital there is certainly an excess of epidural injections,
episiotomies, C-sections and other interventions, which are often not needed.
There is a connection between epidural injections at birth and drug addiction
of the child later in life. There is a connection between C-sections and
arthritis later in life. Every intervention has a down side and should be used
prudently.
In terms of child mortality; the US has one of the worst statistics in the
Western world. We have decided to use a mid wife and doula. A doula
coaches the woman before the birth process about all the little details that
will come up during birth and afterward. What bed to buy? What car seat?
How to breast feed and what to expect? What position to give birth in? How
to relieve labor pain by body positioning, with essential oils or homeopathy?
I love the home birthing classes we are taking and our teacher and doula will
be present during our birth. We want our birth to be fun, and a ritual for all
of us to grow more mature and together. There will be no needles, bright
lights, loud sounds. We hope to welcome our child the way nature intended
the welcome delivery to be.
The newborn period: Once the baby is born, it needs to be handled gently.
No slapping, no panicky washing of the skin. Everything about birth is
natural and not a medical emergency. There are of course exceptions which
should be prepared for and kept in the back of ones mind. That is the job of
the midwife or obstetrician. Once the placenta is birthed the baby should rest
on mother’s stomach to bond. The role of the father should not be about
being a second mother. His role is to hold, nurture and protect the space.
Diapers should be chosen carefully. Plastic throw away diapers have been
shown to warm the testicles of a male baby contributing to male infertility
later in life.
The sleeping location of the baby is important. Most families co-sleep with
their newborns for the fist 6 to 12 months. The benefit of co-sleeping is not
just about the ease of nightly feeding, but also introduces the child’s
independence to our world slowly. The new born still has a feeling of being
part of the mother and does not yet have a strong sense of ‘self’.
Sudden infant death syndrome has been linked in a number of studies to a
strange phenomenon: polyurethane and other plastic uses of foam mattress
get soaked with sweat, urine and other bodily excretions. There is an
interaction of microbes, foam and bodily fluids which creates toxic gases:
thioethers, mercaptans, hydrogensulfide and others have been detected.
These gases are the same that were used in combat during WWI to paralyze
the opponents breathing mechanism. They do the same in a newborn,
especially when combined with the stress of recent immunizations. These
gases are heavier then air. Baby cribs – often with crib bumpers - that have a
wooden frame which extends higher then the mattress often create a bowl, in
which the gases sit and cannot flow over to the side. The alternatives are
mattresses made from cotton or natural rubbers, which do not create these
problems.
Vaccines: the vaccine issue has many layers. It is clear from an
epidemiological point of view, that the more people are vaccinated, the less
the spread of the related illnesses. It is also clear from my clinical
experience, that many children have developed autism, hyperactivity, and
asthma or suffered severe brain damage within a few days of vaccination.
Vaccines are good for the community, but potentially bad for the individual.
The immune system of a child takes 24 months to mature and is very
vulnerable during this time. Many vaccines still contain ethyl mercury, one
of the two most toxic mercurial compounds. By the time the child is 6 years
old, the accumulated amount of mercury from vaccines is clinically
significant. No one escapes this damage.
Today mercury free vaccine alternatives exist, but are not yet routinely used
– only by request. The pharmaceutical industry is using up its old supplies
first….The high risk to contract hepatitis B is either IV drug users or
prostitution. Hepatitis B vaccination is forced on newborn babies here in the
US, but is outlawed in France. How many newborns do you know that use
IV drugs with contaminated needles or engage in prostitution? I make my
recommendations to my patients along the above understandings. What I
will do with my own child is very clear to me but will stay private. I
recommend reading the work of Dr. Tenpenny or reading up on the vaccine
issue at:
www.mercola.comDental issues: great progress has been made in the prevention of dental
caries and furthering proper development of the facial structures and dental
arches. As already mentioned above, if a mother chews xylitol chewing gum
3 -5 times per day during pregnancy and for the first year of life, the child
has no tooth decay for 5 years and there is still a statistically significant
effect at age 10 – even if the child never chews the gum. Xylitol is a sugar
alcohol that inhibits the growth of streptococcus mutants, the caries bug.
Research in Japan showed, if pregnant mothers and their children eat 1-2
capsules chlorella growth factor (a heat extract of chlorella), the 20 children
in the experimental group did not develop any tooth decay for 5 years
(opposed to the control group who showed a significant amount of tooth
decay). The most startling finding in the study was; CGF children developed
beautifully developed facial structures and dental arches, predicting a lack of
facial pain, jaw problems, neck problems, headaches, hormonal problems
and more, later in life. In a Japanese study on dogs - perfect dental arches
also predicted better general health, a higher life expectancy, higher
intelligence, more pleasant behavioral characteristics and a non-scoliotic,
perfect spine.
Television: A few days ago a study for the first time showed a direct
connection between early television viewing and hyperactive behavior. Do
not use your television-set as a baby sitter. Have the child paint, sing, play
be interactive with its new and ever changing three-dimensional world.
Maybe you will find some valuable tips in this paper. It is knowledge we all
should have learnt at school. I am sure you know many more tips and tricks
and I would love to hear from you. I intend to collect papers, articles, ideas
and experiences and compile them in a book.
I would like to end this paper with a sentence from the book ‘Welcoming
Baby’ by S. Colleen Graham. “What tomorrow’s children are to be, will be
determined by what today’s parents-to-be choose to be.”
May we all acknowledge and honor our true responsibility as parents and
enjoy the light and joy our children bring to us.
Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD