Is 100% natural the way to go?
I had my 22 week appointment with my OB/GYN yesterday and everything is well. Baby is weighing 1.3 lbs already, and not letting us get a good shot of the face. He or she had both hands up by the face (which seems to be a favorite position).
It was also a mega visit, as I had many many questions for him and we ended up having a philosophical discussion about how natural to go and what role medicine plays in our lives. Can we live without medicine? And as a parent, can we make that decision for our kids--as in, deny them vaccines to prevent preventable diseases?
When I mentioned I had gone to the Leche League he got really concerned. They are known for being a little radical and against anything that isn't natural. I mentioned that I didn't want them to give the baby sugar water at birth, and this set him off on an honest discussion, where he spoke to me as a father.
First, he said, without any medical intervention in about 20% of all births, the mother and baby would die. Of those 80% that are born without a problem, about 10% would die because of postnatal complications. In the 1800's there were limited options, but today, when we do have options, can we chose to forego them? I'm not only deciding for my life, I have to consider my baby's life, and Poncho's too.
He then explained that some babies are born with low sugar count and if the mother's milk is not enough to raise it, then the baby is at risk of getting hypoglycemia which can cause brain paralysis--this actually happened to one of his patient's who refused to give her baby anything other than her breastmilk. This baby is now a one year old with some retardation.
Obviously, I don't want to make decisions that will harm the baby, I just want a concrete reason for why they are doing what they are doing. When I heard about the sugar water, at my leche league meeting, no one explained this situation, and it sounded like all babies got it by default. It seemed random when put out of context.
He also told me the story of a friend of his who decided not to vaccinate her sons because she wanted to be natural. One son got polio and at age 11 he learned about the polio vaccine in school. He came home and asked his mom why he hadn't gotten the vaccine. His mom tried to explain that it was more natural without it. But he asked, would my leg be like this if I had had it? She had to say no and face all her suppressed guilt about making a decision for her son that has affected his life and struggling with massive depression. Who wouldn't?
Of course, I'm not against vaccines. I just don't think every little sniffle deserves strong antibiotics. I mean, I'm married to a doctor. Where would we be if I was against medicine? I just want a happy medium.
All in all, it ends up being a matter of being informed. This is our strongest tool. That, and asking questions. Why does the baby need this? It also helps to pick doctors that we can trust who will have my best interest and that of the baby's foremost on their mind.
It was also a mega visit, as I had many many questions for him and we ended up having a philosophical discussion about how natural to go and what role medicine plays in our lives. Can we live without medicine? And as a parent, can we make that decision for our kids--as in, deny them vaccines to prevent preventable diseases?
When I mentioned I had gone to the Leche League he got really concerned. They are known for being a little radical and against anything that isn't natural. I mentioned that I didn't want them to give the baby sugar water at birth, and this set him off on an honest discussion, where he spoke to me as a father.
First, he said, without any medical intervention in about 20% of all births, the mother and baby would die. Of those 80% that are born without a problem, about 10% would die because of postnatal complications. In the 1800's there were limited options, but today, when we do have options, can we chose to forego them? I'm not only deciding for my life, I have to consider my baby's life, and Poncho's too.
He then explained that some babies are born with low sugar count and if the mother's milk is not enough to raise it, then the baby is at risk of getting hypoglycemia which can cause brain paralysis--this actually happened to one of his patient's who refused to give her baby anything other than her breastmilk. This baby is now a one year old with some retardation.
Obviously, I don't want to make decisions that will harm the baby, I just want a concrete reason for why they are doing what they are doing. When I heard about the sugar water, at my leche league meeting, no one explained this situation, and it sounded like all babies got it by default. It seemed random when put out of context.
He also told me the story of a friend of his who decided not to vaccinate her sons because she wanted to be natural. One son got polio and at age 11 he learned about the polio vaccine in school. He came home and asked his mom why he hadn't gotten the vaccine. His mom tried to explain that it was more natural without it. But he asked, would my leg be like this if I had had it? She had to say no and face all her suppressed guilt about making a decision for her son that has affected his life and struggling with massive depression. Who wouldn't?
Of course, I'm not against vaccines. I just don't think every little sniffle deserves strong antibiotics. I mean, I'm married to a doctor. Where would we be if I was against medicine? I just want a happy medium.
All in all, it ends up being a matter of being informed. This is our strongest tool. That, and asking questions. Why does the baby need this? It also helps to pick doctors that we can trust who will have my best interest and that of the baby's foremost on their mind.
posted by Maya @ 8:06 AM
1 Comments:
At 2:13 PM,
Adrianna said…
You are going to be such a wonderful mother. I think it's really important to hear all sides, do the research and decide what feels right to you. And in the end, I know you'll pick what's best for my little GIRL. (hee hee)
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