"If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France

Read our annual Christmas Letter and check out our 2006 in Review slideshow!

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Brand Spanking New

7/14/07 - Ok, have laid out my dream kitchen on IKEA's free Home Planner software.  The software is a little wanky... some bugs that make things hard to get exactly right (like I can't get my over-the-range microwave to 'move up' so it's not directly on top of my range), but it's a great way to play around with ideas and also print out your layout with all measurements.

6/27/07 - I have added substantially more information to my VBAC article "Don't Freak, Know the Facts" by expanding on the maternal and fetal outcomes of VBAC vs. ERCS (elective repeat cesarean section) as well as comparing uterine rupture rates between VBAC and ERCS.

6/25/07 - A couple great articles.  First, Mother-Friendly Childbirth is a Consumer Issue and second, an interview with Jennifer Block, the author of Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care.  Ms. Block addresses VBAC by stating:

VBACs are controversial because they put doctors at risk of a lawsuit they can't defend, and because the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has set a standard of care that is nearly impossible for physicians to meet. I explain more in the book, but the result has been that hundreds of hospitals have banned VBACs, and many doctors are refusing to attend them altogether.

The best data we have say that 1 in 2000 VBACs will result in the death or severe brain damage of the baby. That's an outcome that nobody wants, of course. But the reality is that the chance of a baby not making it through a first-time vaginal birth is about the same. One prominent OB/ethicist calls the VBAC hype a "distortion of risk."

So the decision of whether to plan a vaginal birth or a repeat cesarean is one that women need to make with full, unbiased information. But for many women, there is no choice. A recent survey found that more than half of women seeking a VBAC were denied it by their provider or hospital. Many, many women are being told they must have surgery - a clear violation of their constitutional rights.

Beautifully said.

6/7/07 - Prompted by a question on one of my YahooGroups, my reply quickly turned into a whole new section for my website!  Check out "Questions to Ask: How to Find a Truly VBAC Supportive OB/Midwife."

5/15/07 - It's hilarious, sad, and true all at the same time.  It's the Monty Python Hospital Sketch about childbirth and that magical machine that goes PING!  On a different note, two nurses and friends from New Jersey died after their cesareans.  One from anemia and bleeding, the other is having an autopsy.  This is an unfortunate, unpublicized reality of cesareans.  You are 3.6 times more likely to die from complications of an elective cesarean section than a vaginal birth.  (Deneux-Tharaux 2006)  Women die from cesareans.  They carry risks just like vaginal births.  Neither option is risk free, but vaginal births carry fewer risks to mother and baby.  Finally, I read What Every Midwife Should Know About ACOG and VBAC: Critique of ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 5, July 1999, “Vaginal Birth After Previous Cesarean Section by Marsden Wagner, MD, MSPH and it's an excellent critique of ACOG and their recommendations that are not supported by science, but are driven by convenience.

5/7/07 - "Material to balance coverage of VBAC Study by the California College of Midwives" is a great article on VBACs and how they are portrayed in the media.  A labor nurse lists "Things They Don't Tell You."

5/4/07 - For women who want a vaginal birth, having a cesarean section can be devastating.  That feeling is summed up well in this slideshow. 

4/23/07 - So I finally wrote my piece about finding support when you decide to take the stay-at-home mom (SAHM) plunge.  This is something three years in the making and I hope some lonely mommies find it helpful!

4/22/07 - Posted recipes from Kathy's 3rd birthday party.  I recently came across a map of the US by state showing c-section rates for 2005, when the national rate was 30.2%.  They say, "Since 1996, the total cesarean rate has increased by 46%, driven by both an increase in the percentage of all women having a first cesarean and a decline in the percentage of women delivering vaginally after a previous cesarean."  I finished Dr. Marsden Wagner's book "Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First" which should be required reading for all women of childbearing age.  As a medical doctor with experience working for WHO, he had the unique opportunity to compare maternity systems by country, thereby acquiring a new perspective on health care and the role of midwives.  He admits of being unfamiliar with midwives until WHO and then learned that they are the preferred health care provider for low-risk women in the nations with the lowest infant and maternal mortality rates.  Finally, I'll be looking in 2007 for Ricki Lake's movie on childbirth, "The Business of Being Born."

3/1/07 - I'll be looking for this new documentary to appear in theaters in 2007: Pregnant in America.

6/1/06 - Very interesting article on how textbooks are made.

5/31/06 - It is so disappointing that most of the dolls out now look like hookers-in-training and I don't understand the mom who buys such crap like Bratz and My Scene for her little girl.  The Only Hearts Club Dolls actually look like girls who aren't aiming to go clubbing, drop acid, and have sex by the time they are 9.  Thanks to a letter writing campaign, Hasbro has decided to shelve the Pussycat Doll line.  As long as people buy this crap, toy manufacturers will sell it.  Let's stop buying it!!

5/12/06 - Totally bummed... one of my favorite magazines, Budget Living, has ceased publication....

5/5/06 - Interesting.... http://cesarean-art.com/

5/2/06 - Operation Shrink Ass is underway!  I've lost 12 pounds since February!  I weigh less now that I did before I got pregnant with Kathy... it is an amazing feeling!

4/29/06 - I'm so angry about gas prices that I'm considering buying a hybrid.  Both of our cars are 4 years old and we were planning on driving them until they died... but I feel so at the mercy of the oil industry.  So, I found this website and I'm looking for a hybrid that has navigation with an iPod interface.  I still have a ton of research to do, but I'm interested in the Toyota Camry, Lexus GS 450h, Lexus RX 400h, Toyota Highlander and I might even enter the world of minivans with the Toyota Sienna.  My next stop on the "Jen Research Express" is Consumer Reports and then Edmunds for information on pricing.  Of course, I would purchase the car through CostCo's no haggle pricing service.

4/15/06 - April is Cesarean Awareness Month and this article from the The Coloradoan is a great synopsis on how to avoid a c-section.

4/10/06 - With tax day 5 days away, I thought you could use a few referrals to charities so you can donate that last bit of dough before Uncle Sam takes that too.

3/28/06 - Lancet, a UK medical journal, publishes a WHO study on maternal deaths based on the analysis of over 35,000 deaths worldwide.  They concluded, "In developed countries, the leading causes of women dying during childbirth are complications related to Caesarian section delivery and anesthesia." While you can read a summary of the article on lancet.com if you subscribe, you must pay to read the entire article. Yahoo News Article

3/19/06 - 2004 Cesarean Rates at California Hospitals - This is invaluable information for any pregnant woman who plans to deliver in California to have. 

2/28/06 - Laurie Ballard, a fellow stay-at-home mother of three young children, tragically loses her husband, Kyle Ballard.  Make your donation payable to:

Officer Kyle R. Ballard Memorial Fund

Pasadena Federal Credit Union

1038 S. Fair Oaks Ave.

PO Box 7132

Pasadena, Calif., 91109-7132

2/24/06 - Don't freak, know the facts about VBAC.  Make an educated decision. 

2/23/06 - It saddens and annoys me that there is even a need to state the obvious, but apparently to many uneducated women are electing cesareans.  As if it's a newsflash, Lamaze International has published a white paper detailing how elective cesareans create significant risks for maternal and infant health.  I find it ironic that OBs are willing to perform elective cesareans on a perfectly healthy mom and baby under the guise of a woman's "right to chose," and expose her and her baby to unnecessary risk, yet deem VBAC to dangerous to even permit women a trial of labor.  What am I missing?  I'll make a leap here and suggest that women attempting VBAC are far more educated on the risks, and how to reduce them, than women who are "to posh to push."  Read more.

2/22/06 - Finished reading Emergency Childbirth by Gregory White, MD this week.  It's a quick read and should be required for all pregnant ladies.  Gives an overview of childbirth, the complications that rarely occur, and how to deal with them.   

2/21/06 - Why Californians Should Vote NO On "Preschool-For-All" in June 2006

2/19/06 - Gift giving made easy... my Amazon Wish List.  How I would love it if everyone I knew had one... :)

2/17/06 - Need a laugh?  Consider how many people it takes to get a toilet plunger from a baby . . .

2/16/06 - I got tired of mortgage calculators that didn't include property taxes - which is a huge expense to consider when purchasing a new home - as well as HOA fees and homeowners insurance.  So, naturally, I created my own mortgage calculator that considers all these costs so you can get a real idea of how much that new house will cost you.

2/10/06 - It took me a couple years, but I finally sat down and wrote my entire birth story.

1/17/06 - How I became a stay-at-home mom

1/16/06 - Heard the commercials on preschool?  How a 4 year old is fighting crime, has a better chance of going to college, and making more money in the future all by going to preschool?  It's all bunk.  Hear the "research" that this whole movement is based on...

1/16/05 - Did you experience post-partum depression?  If so, please take part in this important research study.

1/15/06 - Planting our very steep 3,245 square foot slope!

1/15/06 - Learn about HSA-compliant medical insurance plans which became available January 1, 2005.

1/15/06 - Jen's 24 Book Challenge

1/4/06 - Homeschooling Field Trips

1/2/06 - Elective Cesareans: Think Twice

News, Research, Etc...

2/4/07 - Ok, a little crazy that it's been a year since I posted anything on the news side... I come across things all the time that I want to post and don't.... so here a few items: As of 2006 the US was ranked 40th for infant mortality and Save the Children found that we have the second worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world!  Click here for an excellent commentary.  Complication rates increase from two c-sections to three.  And I found a great website filled with completely referenced information on VBA2C (VBAC after two c-sections.)  I also found this great photo montage on the healing of a c-section scar... it's very artsy and beautiful.  And then Texas schools are mandating that 11 & 12 year old girls get the HPV vaccine.  Is this a sign of things to come?  Finally, the FDA warns against "keepsake" ultrasound photos.

2/23/06 - Lamaze International publishes Elective Cesarean Surgery Versus Planned Vaginal Birth: What Are the Consequences?.  Read the accompanying analysis The Problem with “Maternal Request” Cesarean.  Read the press release.

2/9/06 - Latest study from Obstetrics & Gynecology finds VBAC "as safe" as repeat cesarean. 

1/18/06 - New research revisits the recommendation of cesareans for breech babies.  They find that "original term breech trial recommendations should be withdrawn."  I am sad for all the moms who had cesareans unnecessarily and wonder if medical schools will start to teach OBs how to vaginally deliver breech births.

12/30/05 - Calls to push 'do not cut labor'

12/15/05 - 2004 C-Section Rate Is All-Time U.S. High at 29%: Medical, legal, and choice issues combine.

12/05 - Auto Repair Shops Win Quality Award from AAA

12/05 - Massachusetts Leads the Way with Unprecedented Formula Restrictions in Hospitals Read more

12/05 - "Most Wanted" Corporate Human Rights Violators of 2005

7/05 - Hard to Swallow: Coke’s New Youth Fitness Campaign

6/05 - Sling It Forward! - Donate baby carriers to financially challenged families

6/05 - ABC: Corporate Interests Watered Down the Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign