What refreshing candor from Bruno on the subject. Thanks for posting it,
Peter...
Perhaps because my hormones are still piping "proud father" melodies
through my bloodstream, I thought I would give some more details of our
recent birth in the context of Bruno's email.
Bruno Comby:
>To give a very
>positive and enthousiastic story of "instinctive birth" it would have
>been necessary to present only a very small number of the "good-story"
>cases, which is what you call "cheating with reality" and it wasn't a
>good thing to do.
Well, at least we have here an effort to "work with reality" (though it is
at least a decade overdue on this topic). I imagine one could make similar
"updates" on nearly every aspect/claim of instincto idealism. These candid
updates are SO VERY NEEDED in order that instincto can grow up and garner
any respect. Insticto has much to offer healthseekers--enough so that it
need not claim Painless Birth or 400 year lifespans in order to establish
credibility. Indeed, such claims have the exactly opposite effect:
destroying credibility...
>At the first generation, there are improvements in the pre-natal
>symptoms (such as : no varicoses, fatigue, depression, nausea, or other
>typical symptoms often affecting pregnant women)
Melisa was never 100% instincto for longer than a few weeks at a time (she
made exceptions). Yet she had two miscarries (at the same day of the tenth
week) while maintaining a 90%+ and 95%+ raw diet. With the last (third) and
successfull pregnancy she ate at only about 60-70% raw, included raw
clabbered dairy when attractive (with a magnesium supplement), steamed
veggies and seared meat. She had cod liver oil 3-6 times a week depending
on attraction. She avoided all grains. In short she was 100% successful
following a raw/cooked paleo diet with some spurts of attraction to raw
dairy (mostly pre-conception as I remember it). She finds her satisfaction
level on such a diet to preclude any "relapse" to junky exceptions which
she inevitably resorted to after every couple weeks of attempting 100%
instincto/raw.
Anyway, she had no morning sickness with the two earlier miscarries, but
did have (minor, but definate) morning sickness (not restrcicted to the
morning BTW) during the first trimester with the successful pregnancy. She
enjoyed her sleep more ;) and had less inclination to exercise. No other
symptoms to speak of. Unless becoming even more beautiful is a "symptom". ;)
>as well as improvements
>in the post natal symptoms (no problems usually with the milk-feeding,
>fatigue, fast if not instant recuperation of mother's energy, etc). In
>fact, most of these symptoms indeed almost disappear if the diet has
>been correctly practised since at least a few weeks or months earlier.
>These improvements are the result of a better physiological balance and
>better quality of the blood. It usually takes practising instinctive
>nutrition since at least a few weeks before the changes can be observed.
In Melisa's case it took NOT practicing instictinctive nutrition to get
these results. She had a day of nipple soreness the day before her milk
came in fully (four days after birth) but otherwise has had more energy and
good cheer than would seem possible to me :) She is two pounds over her
prebirth weight a week after birth. Still bleeding a bit as her unterus
contracts/repairs. She tore cleanly when the shoulders came through (squat
delivery) and had 5 stitchs (only one visible). No infections.
>But the act of birth itself is still a heavy job even with instinctive
>nutrition, with sometimes significant mechanical complications, labor,
>pain and problems, not more, nor less than in usual cooked diets.
>Instinctive delivery problems at the mechanical level (baby too big,
>opeing of the bones too narrow...) are not much different than standard
>(cooked) births, at least for the first generation (this may be
>different with the second generation of instinctive eaters).
Melisa has great hips for childbirth so we lucked out there. Her first
stage of labor was unnoticed (she didn't recognize some minor "menstral"
cramping and "pressure" during the afternoon as labor at all) and when
contractions started in earnest (at about 6pm) she was quite worried by 9pm
that if "this is only first stage, I can't imagine how it will be later!".
The contraction were about 4 minutes apart for an hour and then down to two
minutes apart for over a minute duration for the rest of the labor. She
never "lost it" during the birth, but did moan loudly as the contractions
became more fierce. I encouraged her not to hold anything in and she felt
free to make as much noise as she cared to. At times it seemed to me that
the moaning was almost a conscious desision on her part to deal with the
intensity of the later contractions. (BTW, she took most of her contactions
on all fours and about a half hour in the shower.) Melisa is, in general, a
wimp about pain (you should see her get into a cold swimming pool--it's
almost embarrassing ;)) but handled the labor well. I think that there were
surely some hormones helping her out (more than my platitudes were ;)). Not
painless childbirth, but never was she dealt more pain than she could
handle...
>It is true that the amniotic pouch stays intact until the expulsion
>itself to protect the baby. The pouch tears apart at the last moment
>when the baby is expulsed. I feel it is a mistake to rip open the pouch
>with a knife or other sharp instrument to provoke the birth (as is often
>done in clinics to gain time and accelerate the birth, so that the
>midwife and doctor can go home earlier).
When the naturopath/midwife finally arrived (about 11pm) she found Melisa
dialted at 5 cm. a half hour later 10cm. The bag was bulging all the while.
After about a half hour pushing in earnest (on the toilet of all places)
she came downstairs and delivered squating. The bag burst as the head came
out (along with the fingers of her left hand--white as a tooth). The
shoulders and rest of the body with the next contraction about a minute
later. (Ironically, the naturopath had a visit with Melisa that morning,
found her 1 cm dialated and said she could go into labor anytime. The
naturopath lives 2 and half hours away from us; she was just arriving home
when she had to turn around and come back, driving another 2 and a half
hours. A second midwife arrived about 10 minutes before delivery. The plan
was always to have two attendents, plus me, of course.)
>Another difference is that newborn instinctive babies will come out
>clean without the often observed (when mother is on a cooked diet) small
>layer of white greasy stuff on their body that needs to be cleaned after
>birth. They usually come out clean, nice and pink (after breathing
>starts), not requiring to be cleaned.
No myconium to speak of. Clean, nice, and pink is the perfect description.
But Melisa was some 30-40% cooked. Indeed, her favorite dinner in the last
trimester was a steamed sweet potatoe and a (commercial!) pork chop!
>The really instinctive women who are not afraid to do so can, as many
>other mammals do, cut the cord with their teeth a few minutes after the
>blood has stopped pulsating and has coagulated spontaneously inside.
Ha. I was asked later on whether I wanted to cut the cord (with a scissors,
not my teeth, but they woulda let me if I pressed it) but I coulda cared
less about the dingdang cord at that point. Jaloa was laying quietly on
Melisa's belly, and staring up at us, wide-eyed, back and forth. It was the
most exquisite moment of our lives, bar none. The umbilical cord? Who
cares--let the midwife do it; that's why they're getting the big bucks ;)
I did, however, later hang the cord in the fridge in true RAF fashion and
it dried out quickly. There was mention that traditional Hawaiians use the
dried cord as a teething ring. We'll see. It would be perfect for that
though...
>Some women (but most are reluctant to do so) will,
>like other mammals often do, eat their own placenta partly or totally
>after birth. The father or other members of the tribe may appreciate
>tasting also if they are hungry enough...
As interested as I am in new raw foods, and as (overly) important food is
in my life, I wasn't the least bit hungry after the birth. Melisa neither.
Jaloa's placenta is in the freezer and destined for a durian tree, or maybe
we should fling the sucker into an active volcano in lieu of a virgin, eh?
Both the naturopath and the midwife were taken aback by the sac while
examining the afterbirth. They were stretching it like taffy, amazed that
it wouldn't break. They said they hadn't seen one as tough before.
My intent here isn't to boast. (Indeed, both Melisa and I kinda "like" that
she tore a bit since that isn't Perfect at all ;)). But it does seem as if
Jaloa's birth was easier than might be expected of the first birth of a 41
year old woman. It had many elements of an "instincto" birth but Melisa was
not instincto, not even strictly paleo--with the inclusion of raw dairy.
Especially considering two previous miscarries while trying (and "failing")
to be the perfect instincto, her case seems interesting enough to share.
But as Bruno properly emphasizes, one case means diddly...
However, from my point of view, that one case means everything! Whoop!
Cheers,
Kirt (finding my chest to be the perfect crib)
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