Kindred Hearts Community Midwifery

"It was my idea to use fMRI and/or PET scanning to directly observe the effects of circumcision on the infant brain.

Analysis of the MRI data indicated that the surgery subjected the infant to significant trauma. The greatest changes occurred in the limbic system concentrating in the amygdala and in the frontal and temporal lobes.

A neurologist who saw the results postulated that the data indicated that affected most intensely the portions of the victim’s brain associated with reasoning, perception and emotions.

Follow up tests on the infant one day, one week and one month after the surgery indicated that the child’s brain never returned to its baseline configuration. In other words, the evidence generated by this research indicated that the brain of the circumcised infant was permanently changed by the surgery." — Paul D. Tinari, PhD

http://circumcision.org/circumcision-permanently-alters-the-brain/

Your Whole Baby: A Community for Learning

Frankenweenies

I wish this was a joke. https://www.outkick.com/dew-dogs-are-real-and-theyre-spectacularly-horrifying/

Hey heads up! There are rumors going around about me saying I’ve retired and or not fit! Not true! I am healthy and well. I can prove it.

Here at Kindred Hearts we adore Renee C. Happy Birthday Sweetie

Kissing your baby changes your breast milk. Did you know that the undeniable urge to cover your baby in kisses serves a biological purpose? When a mother kisses her baby, she samples the pathogens on baby’s face, which then travel to mom’s lymphatic system. Mom’s body then creates antibodies to fight those pathogens, which baby receives through breast milk. What?! Amazing, right?

💫 Words by
💫 📸: Dusktildawnphotography

The Middle Wife'
by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher
I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.
When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.
Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid,takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.
She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'
'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'
She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.
'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)
'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)
'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe.
They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there in the first place.'
Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat.
I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's Show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle Wife' comes along.
Now you have two choices...laugh and close this page or pass this along to someone else to spread the laughs. I know what I did!!!
Live every day as if it is your LAST chance to make someone laugh.

The Last Days of Pregnancy: A Place of In-Between The last days of pregnancy are a distinct time of in-between. It's a tricky time for mothers, as these last few days are biological and psychological events. She's curled up on the couch, waiting, a ball of baby and emotions. A scrambled pile of books on pregnancy, labor, baby names...

Glantz JC. Rates of labor induction and primary cesarean delivery do not correlate with rates of adverse neonatal outcome in level I hospitals. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2011;24(4):636-42.

Nothing is more important than your children

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

When a client tells you they love you and gives you a big hug; I know I’ve done my job right. Midwifery is all about love.

Had an awesome day with quite a few awesome little ones

We fill up fast! I only take 2-4 a month. Make your appt for mutual interview soon! Space available:

OCT 2
Nov 0
Dec 0
Jan (after the 15th) 2
Feb 2
March 2

It is the expectations and the timeframes that are the problem. Not the position.
https://midwifethinking.com/2016/06/08/in-celebration-of-the-op-baby/

Earlier this week, a birthing pool company put out a post claiming that there are conditions one needs to meet to be able to use a birthing pool.

These conditions included that one needed to be low risk, and within pre-pregnancy BMI criteria.

In case we’ve not met, hello. I’m not a rival birth pool company. I’m an author and researcher with thirty years of midwifery experience, and a PhD. I write about pregnancy, risk, high BMI and the importance of informed decision making.

And I just wanted to set the record straight.

There are, in fact, only three conditions for being able to use a birthing pool.

1. You are birthing
2. You have access to a pool
3. You want to birth in the pool

Now, it’s true that access can sometimes be tricky.

If you decide to give birth in a facility such as a hospital or birth centre, for instance, there may not be a pool available for you to use.

That's one reason why some families hire, buy or borrow their own.

It’s also true that some facilities and care providers might try and restrict your use of a birth pool if you have risk factors, including higher BMI. (More on this in my upcoming book on Plus Size Pregnancy).

But these are not absolutes. There are plenty of exceptions.

We know many women who have used birth pools in hospitals and birth centres with a higher BMI and/or other supposed risk factors.

And no-one can stop you from doing what you want in your home.

These restrictive statements also aren’t evidence-based. More on this at www.sarawickham.com/water

And the bottom line is this: your body, your baby, your decision.

That’s why it’s good to do your research beforehand and ask lots of questions.

Please don’t let anyone else restrict your options. Not care providers, not your family, and certainly not birth pool companies.

For information on the benefits of water for birth which is based on actual evidence, see www.sarawickham.com/water

Get the data. Make a plan. Take charge of your birth.

Buy your copy now:
https://amzn.to/3CnKGp8

As many of you know i had a small stroke in October. Been back to work since January feeling back to my normal self. Moving a bit slower cuz of my hip, but that gets better with activity

Vitamin D Deficiency? Science Shows What Happens to Your Body Vitamin D is an essential resource. You know you need it for healthy bones, but scientistists share a myriad of other vital functions.

Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common vitamin deficiencies but symptoms are subtle.It is believed that about 42% of people in the US may be vitamin D deficient. (Vitamin D is delivered to cells via the bloodstream and turns genes on or off. Nearly every cell in the body has a receptor for vitamin D.)Vitamin D has been coined the sunshine vitamin because it is produced out of cholesterol in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight, which is why people living far from the equator are more likely to be deficient.Dietary sources are scarce, however, cod liver oil and fatty fish (such as salmon, mackerel, sardines or trout) provide pretty high amounts.If you've never had your Vitamin D level tested, schedule a free, 20 minute consultation and we'll see if it would be a wise option for you: https://secure.gethealthie.com/appointments/embed_appt?dietitian_id=451341&require_offering=true&offering_id=35574