The decision of when, how, and why to vaccinate (or not vaccinate) your young child is a hot topic spanning personal health, public health, spirituality, freedom, environment, and parenting forums nationwide.  How can one sort through the loaded arguments, personal anecdotes, reasonable assumptions, hypotheses, and scientific research to come to an fully informed decision that is yours and yours alone?  

One resource to start you off is an interview with Midwife and MD Aviva Romm. She discusses the many options and challenges facing families making these tough decisions in this recorded webinar.  Her approach to medicine is holistic and natural and she also has the research and clinical knowledge to balance the potential pros and cons of the both sides.  Best of all she truly approaches the topic from a unbiased, nonjudgmental perspective, presenting any and all relevant evidence.  More information can be found in her book, Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide.   

Topics include:
- Reasons people choose to not vaccinate or vaccinate their kids
- Benefits and side effects of vaccination
- How spacing vaccinations alters and fails to alter the potential side effects
- The most important vaccinations for children in the US
- Which vaccinations might be needed for international travel
- How to minimize reactions to vaccinations
- Natural methods of supporting the immune system

New research is showing that pregnancy-influenced mood disorders are not limited to the immediate postpartum period.  Symptoms can occur early in pregnancy, immediately following birth, or start any time leading up to the child's first birthday.   Prenatal and postpartum depression and psychosis are real conditions often brought upon by the extreme fluctuation of hormones during pregnancy and following birth.  Affliction is not representative of weakness, disability, or lack of love for one's child, but a functioning endocrine system that is in recovery mode.  If you or a mother you know are experiencing overwhelming emotions, thoughts, or visions; physical and/or or emotional exhaustion; worry or anxiety; or difficulty bonding with your baby or accepting your pregnancy, reach out to a trusted loved one, healthcare provider or doula for support.  Doulas aren't just here for labor but the prenatal and postpartum period too.  PPD affects as many as one in five women.  Reach out and let your loved ones help on the road to recovery and a healthier, happier motherhood. 

NYT Article on Postpartum/Prenatal Depression, Anxiety, and Psychosis

It's the possibility that most hope they don't have to face, but you never know if you and your baby might need an emergency or planned c-section.  If it does come to that, you can still prepare for the best c-section experience you can have.


Things to consider:
- Requesting skin to skin on your chest
- Request your partner or an accompanying family member or friend do skin to skin if you cannot
- Request to stay with your child while being stitched and moved to recovery
- Request sutures instead of staples, mothers with sutures are less likely to have complications and more likely to be satisfied with the stitches and scar appearance (Ob Gyn News)
- If you are morbidly obese, discuss a vertical incision instead of the typical transverse (Ob Gyn News)
- If a c-section is planned and there are no complications, see if you doctor can accommodate you waiting for you to go into labor instead of scheduling a date

Aviva Romm, family health practioner, herbalist, midwife, and MD, discusses the risks associated with gestation diabetes in this article.  She discusses the need for pregnant mothers and practitoners to asses the mother's risk at developing GD and their nutrition and diet. But she posits that universal glucose testing may not be the best solution.  The best take away here though is this...

Do I Need a Doula? 11 Good Reasons to Use One
From Cafemom's The Stir with journal and statistical references!