Discipline

Im sure a number of people will read this and think "you've been a mom for about 5 minutes! What do you know???" Here is what I know: I have an undergraduate degree in Child Psychology, I have studied child abuse & neglect, the fundamentals of behavior, applied behavior analysis and have a year of behavioral analysis graduate school studies. I helped to raise my nephew and have served as a full time nanny for 16 years with some of the most amazing parents who effectively disciplined their children.
Here is what else I know: Spanking does not work.
But before I get into the psychological effects of spanking, let me address discipline first.

"Discipline is not the same as punishment. Instead, discipline has to do more with teaching, and involves teaching your child right from wrong, how to respect the rights of others, which behaviors are acceptable and which are not, with a goal of helping to develop a child who feels secure and loved, is self-confident, self-disciplined and knows how to control his impulses, and who does not get overly frustrated with the normal stresses of everyday life." -www.keepkidshealthy.com

HITTING MODELS HITTING, DEVALUES THE CHILD, DEVALUES THE PARENT, MAY LEAD TO ABUSE, DOES NOT IMPROVE BEHAVIOR, PROMOTES ANGER - IN CHILDREN AND IN PARENTS. BRINGS BACK BAD MEMORIES

Slapping hands: children's hands are tools for exploring, an extension of the child's natural curiosity. Slapping them sends a powerful negative message.

"Spanking also teaches a child they are a “victim.” The more a child is victimized, the more he or she develops a perception of him/ herself as someone who “deserves” discomfort and suffering. People who view themselves as victims behave in ways that keep them suffering. They make “choices” that repeat the relationships between themselves and their parents. Rejection of pain, suppressed anger, low self-worth, inability to form lasting relationships, and uncontrolled fits of violent anger, are just some of the consequences of childhood victimization. It is not surprising many children who view themselves as victims engage parents and other adults in power struggles, push the limits of reasonable control, test the boundaries, act on the “you can’t make me” philosophy of cooperation, and challenge adult authority until they are victimized again.

Once a child is hit, the memory remains in the brain and body for life. Children who were spanked only once or twice can often remember the pain and shock for years afterward. For children struck frequently, the anticipation of intense pain becomes part of the punishment itself. The anxiety this creates cannot be easily overcome. Recent brain research indicates that highlevels of stress or anxiety can actually change the “wiring” of the brain and interfere with learning, thinking and later relationships". -www.kidsgrowth.com

"Children of non-spanking parents tend to be easy to manage and well-behaved because these parents set clear standards for what is expected, provide lots of love and affection, explain things to the child, and recognize and reward good behavior." 

-www.kidsgrowth.com

Pertussis Vaccine

Have we all seen the Pertussis vaccine commercial enough times yet? It's enough to make you cringe...but, ONCE AGAIN, if we do our research we can see that the shock value of the commercial fails to thoroughly explain the disease, the risk of infection, the vaccine and the vaccine's risks.
The first thing that struck me in my research was this statement...
"As of June, 2010, over half of the 2,480 awards for vaccine injury and death totaling $2 billion dollars made under the U.S. 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act involve pertussis vaccine."
(http://www.nvic.org/Vaccines-and-Diseases/Whooping-Cough.aspx)
Also, here are some side effects to be aware of...side effects OF THE VACCINE!!!

• Collapse/Shock
• Convulsion
• Behavior Changes
• High Fever
• Injection Site
• High Pitched Screaming
• Excessive Sleepiness
• Brain Inflammation
• Regression
• Thrombocytopenia and Hemolytic Anemia  (blood disorders) 
• Diabetes and Hypoglycemia

Pertussis is a dangerous and serious disease and shouldn't be ignored, however, the recommended treatment of pertussis is as follows...

Holistic health care approaches to help manage the symptoms of whooping cough disease include chiropractic, homeopathy, naturopathy, acupuncture, diet and vitamin therapy, including supplemental vitamin D and C.
It is very important to keep those sick with whooping cough properly hydrated with plenty of fluids. Fever, vomiting up of mucous and, sometimes, diarrhea, can cause severe dehydration. Untreated, severe dehydration can lead to shock/collapse, unconsciousness and even death.
(http://www.nvic.org/Vaccines-and-Diseases/Whooping-Cough.aspx)

Viral Insult

Elective Deliveries

My brother-in-law just sent me this amazing article!!!

Edward Hospital to ban elective deliveries before 39 weeks

When it comes to deciding the right time to deliver a baby, staff members at Edward Hospital think Mother Nature usually knows best. Edward is one of sixIllinois hospitals chosen to be part of a March of Dimes pilot program calling for a halt to elective deliveries before 39 weeks of pregnancy.

The program, which started Monday, makes use of a March of Dimes tool kit providing information, research and education materials to help healthcare providers ensure inductions and C-sections are done at the right time and for the right reasons. Hospital staff has trained in the use of this kit, incorporated materials in prenatal classes and posted them at www.edward.org. Physicians also are making patient education materials available in their offices. Relevant data will be collected throughout the year and submitted to the March of Dimes.

Neonatologist Dennis Crouse, Chairman of the committee that oversees the March of Dimes project, said a baby's brain, lungs and other physical functions still are developing during the last few weeks of gestation. While the medical community previously thought it was OK to deliver a baby a few weeks early, recent research indicates otherwise.

"On closer inspection, that wasn't the case," said Crouse, director of the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Illinois Medical Center Chicago. "These infants have a much higher risk of being admitted to the intensive care unit. They have a much higher risk of having respiratory disease. Their hospital stays are usually much longer. It interferes with breast-feeding and there is evidence long term these infants may have an increased risk of some neurological issues."

Crouse, who also is a clinical professor of pediatrics and a director of the UIC Perinatal Center, said the American Congress of Obstetricians andGynecologists sounded the alarm several years ago that, unless medically necessary, babies shouldn't be delivered before 39 weeks of gestation. While many doctors didn't heed the warning, some hospitals did. Those restricting pre-term elective deliveries have reported a reduction in health problems for both babies and moms. Mothers who deliver pre-term run a higher risk of having a Caesarean section, which can result in complications.

Dr. Peter Weeks, medical director of obstetrics and gynecology at Edward Hospital, said he hopes the results at Edward will be "immediate and dramatic." He said since introducing the March of Dimes educational materials to staff members several months ago, he said he's already noticed doctors are changing their behaviors and informing patients about the wisdom of staying pregnant longer.

"These results are proven, redemonstrated in different studies and dramatic, and that is what is so convincing," he said. "It's motivation for us to decrease the elective deliveries, and in doing so, decrease complications to babies."

Based on data from these hospitals, participants in the 2011 March of Dimes project can expect to reduce pre-term births and admissions to the NICU by 15 to 20 percent, Crouse said. That is significant from both a health and cost perspective. The typical hospital bill for a full-term baby is about $2,000, he said. That amount is at least 10 times greater when a baby is in the NICU.

Also participating are five hospitals in each of four other states: California, Texas, New York and Florida. The "Big Five" states account for almost 40 percent of the deliveries in the U.S.

About 3,500 babies are delivered at Edward Hospital each year, with 28 percent of these births taking place before 39 weeks of gestation. Half of that number is elective. Reasons vary. The father may be leaving town or is being deployed by the military. The mom may want a particular doctor to deliver her child or might want to end pregnancy-related discomfort. Some moms with a history of rapid labor fear they won't get to the hospital in time. Others are trying to juggle child care or extended family issues.

A recent study shows the need for expectant mothers to become better educated about the importance of carrying full-term, Bradley said. When they were asked at what gestational age is it safe to deliver a baby, about 70 percent responded it was OK after 36 weeks. 

Visit the Naperville Sun for the article.

Is the baby too big?

Recently, the topic of a "too big baby" came up. My doctor believes in the 'school of thought' that our bodies are made for this and therefore there is never an instance of a baby being "too big" to be birthed vaginally. A friend's doctor warned her that her 10-pound baby was, in fact, too big, therefore; she should definitely consider scheduling a cesarean section surgery.

So, again…off I went to do my research.

Evidently, to date, the largest baby born vaginally was over 15 lbs. HOWEVER, I am having a difficult time verifying that this is accurate, so I am only using this as a guide.

What I did learn...first, when a woman is in labor a hormone called relaxin is released that makes hips, pelvis & tissues relax. This allows our hips to be “floating” and therefore, in very flexible state.

Also, as we all know (hopefully!) a baby’s head is made up of growth plates that do not fuse together until after birth, so their heads are meant to be flexible enough to pass through the birth canal.

These two points alone almost had me convinced that my doctor is, in fact, correct…but I decided to do some additional research.

And then I found one statement that summed it up perfectly for me….

How many other mammals cannot give birth naturally because their babies are too big?

Really, when was the last time an elephant had to visit the delivery ward and have their baby cut out of them?...sorry for the sarcasm, but it really is THAT simple.

A MUST SEE!!!

This Doctor's study is about to change EVERYTHING!!!

Already, cases being presented in the Federal Vaccine Court are WINNING! In other words, the government is FINALLY admitting that YES, PERMANENT DAMAGE IS CAUSED BY CERTAIN VACCINES!!!

CLICK HERE: Are Vaccines used on children causing brain damage?

Polio Vaccine

According to Dr. Robert W. Sears, a board-certified pediatrician and author of several books, including my favorite: "The Vaccine Book", the side effect profile of the polio vaccine "is one of the safest of all vaccines."
In addition, vaccination against polio has eradicated polio from the US, but not worldwide.
Polio is a serious disease with no treatment.
We feel as though, since the benefits outweigh the risks of this vaccine, we have opted to administer the polio vaccine.