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Mom defies doctor, has baby her way

Mom defies doctor, has baby her way

By Elizabeth Cohen, Senior Medical Correspondent

December 16, 2010 1:28 p.m. EST

Aneka gave birth to a healthy boy this month at home, after she had given birth to three children through Cesarean section.

(CNN) -- On Thursday, December 2, as Aneka sat at home nine months pregnant, the phone rang.
It was her obstetrician wanting to know where the heck she was. Did Aneka forget that today was the day for her cesarean section? How could she have forgotten?
No, Aneka hadn't forgotten. She hadn't shown up intentionally.
"She told me, 'You're being irresponsible. Your baby could die. You could die,'" Aneka recalls. Then the doctor hung up.
Aneka (she doesn't want her last name used) had already resolved to not have a C-section, even though the doctor told her it was absolutely necessary. She wasn't going to be opened up surgically, no matter what her doctor said, no matter what any doctor said.
In some online communities, Aneka is a hero who defied the obstetrical establishment and gave birth her way. To many doctors, however, she's a risk-taker who put her and her baby in peril by giving birth at home.
'No, no, no, you can't do this'
Aneka's story begins nine years ago with the birth of her first daughter, Nya. After 10 hours of labor, her doctor told her she wasn't progressing quickly enough, and she needed a C-section.
"I didn't know any better, so I said OK," Aneka says.
In a postpartum visit six weeks later, the doctor told her she'd needed the surgery because her hips were too small to pass the baby.
"I thought to myself, what's she talking about, I don't have small hips," Aneka remembers.
Four years later, doctors told Aneka she couldn't deliver her second child vaginally, since Nya had been delivered by C-section. Studies show when a woman gives birth vaginally after having had a previous C-section, there's a higher chance her uterus will rupture since she's pushing against scar tissue.
Then again, when Aneka was pregnant with her third child, son Adasjan, she had a C-section for the same reason.
When she became pregnant with her fourth child, a boy named Annan Ni'em, she expected to have a fourth C-section. But about seven months into her pregnancy, Aneka started to read more about childbirth online, and noticed a documentary by actress Ricki Lake called "The Business of Being Born," a film released in 2008 that questions the way American women have babies.

Aneka made a controversial health decision by giving birth vaginally to her fourth child after three previous C-sections.

"I was a little bit angry after watching documentary," she said. "It made me realize I'd been robbed of the birthing experience. If possible, all women should be allowed to birth naturally."
"I asked my doctor if I could try delivering vaginally, and she said no," Aneka says. "I called the hospital and they said they wouldn't allow it, and I called three other hospitals and they wouldn't let me deliver vaginally, either."
The closest hospital that would let her try to deliver vaginally was in Manassas, Virginia, about 90 minutes from her Maryland home. She and her husband, Al, decided that was too far.
So just seven weeks away from her December 1 due date, Aneka contacted the International Cesarean Awareness Network, an advocacy group that promotes vaginal births after cesareans, or VBACs.
"She asked me if I could find someone who would deliver her vaginally," remembers Bobbie Humphrey, who works with ICAN. "She started to cry because she'd heard 'no, no, no you can't do this' so many times."
But Humphrey told her yes, that she knew of a midwife who would be willing to deliver her baby at home.
An article in Midwifery Today, written by Barbara Stratton, the National VBAC ban chair for ICAN, lists several approaches women have used to protest a VBAC denial.
On December 5, three days after the C-section that never took place, Annan Ni'em was born at home. He weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces and was delivered after 20 hours of labor, and, she says, just four minutes of pushing. He was completely healthy.
"We were all crying at the delivery," says Humphrey, a doula who assisted the midwife at the birth. "It was very emotional. I was just so proud of Aneka."
Soon, word spread on e-mail lists and chat rooms about the healthy delivery.
"People were e-mailing Aneka saying 'congratulations, you're a role model," Humphrey says.
"Potential for catastrophe"


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Poll: Women Uninformed About Medical Dangers of Birth Control Pill | LifeNews.com

Poll: Women Uninformed About Medical Dangers of Birth Control Pill | LifeNews.com
posted by Melinda Biddy

In association with a conference held in the nation’s capitol today about the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill, a pro-life group has released the results of a new poll.

The survey finds women are generally uninformed about the potentially dangerous medical risks and ramifications associated with the oral contraceptive pill.

Human Life International America released a new national poll surveying teenaged and adult women showing widespread usage of the birth control pill despite women not knowing much about potential harmful effects.

The poll, conducted by professional firm the polling company/WomenTrend surveyed more than 800 women aged 15‐44 in the United States.

Once learning that the birth control pill can raise the risk of contracting breast cancer, about 40 percent of women in the poll were more deterred from using it than before.

Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, a New jersey-based breast cancer surgeon, is a presenter at the HLI conference and she says women need to know more about the potential problems.

“The most egregious omission affecting a young woman’s life is the fact that in 2005, the International Agency on Research of Cancer listed oral contraceptives as Group I carcinogens for breast, cervical and liver cancer,” she says. “You’ll find cigarettes and asbestos in the same group as risks for lung cancer.”

The poll found 78 percent of women have used the birth control pill and a 35% began using it under the age of 18. Thirty‐five percent of women aged 15‐44 who were surveyed said that they currently take oral contraceptives, while an additional 43% said that they had in the past but no longer do.

Fewer than one‐in‐five (19%) said they had never used oral contraceptives.

Three-fifths of women said they began taking the Pill to prevent pregnancy, and nearly two‐thirds said that is the reason why they are still on it. This was the top reason across all demographic groups. Regulation of menstruation was the second‐most common reason why women began oral contraceptives and remain on it

Women were less likely to have used another form of hormonal birth control — like contraceptive shots or patches – as two-thirds said they had never done so; 11% said they currently do, and 19%
said they did at one point.

Three‐in‐five women said they took the Pill (or used another form of hormonal birth control) after becoming sexually‐active for the first time.

The survey found a majority of women don’t know the side effects of the pill and were more likely to share those sides effects than information about significant medical problems the pill caused.

All women surveyed – regardless of contraceptive use – said that knowing “there is new evidence to suggest that taking hormonal contraceptives may increase the risk of breast cancer” would give them serious pause; 44% concluded they would be less likely to take them, and 3% would be more likely. Still, 44% said such research made no difference to them.

While 49% of women were warned by a friend or physician about weight gain and 23% of headaches, only 40% were told of blood clots and the risk of stroke and 19% of increased risks of breast cancer.

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Cookie Exchange Party!

My daughter recently hosted a Cookie Exchange Party for her bible study. It was a great time and a wonderful way for the girls to exchange a "gift" during the holiday season. Everyone brought 2 dozen cookies; one to eat and one to share. Oh my. There were a lot of cookies! The kitchen smelled so sweet and was covered in powdered sugar!










We set a few easy decorations to add some festive cheer. Hanging cookie shape cutters from ribbon we had for gift wrapping added great color. The table setting was super easy. We used a muffin tin and filled it with tree ornaments, pine cones and tea lights. The girls brought their cookies in the cutest tins and trays, so it was fun to display those all over the table. The dollar store provided matching cups, plates and napkins. Overall, it was one of the most inexpensive parties we've hosted.


There were so many cookies and not one of the same kind. We set two plates at every setting so
each girl could serve herself one to eat and one to take home. Although most were unable to eat more than even a couple cookies, so all the moms were glad to see some of the booty their daughters were bringing home. We've had an easy supply of cookies to serve unexpected guests and snacks for a week now!

It was sweet to hear each girls story of baking the cookies they brought and why it was their favorite. When the girls had had their fill, I came around and wrapped their plates with plastic wrap to make it easy for carrying home. We all had fun with carols and games to help burn off all that sugar! All in all it was a fun way to celebrate the season together.

A cookie party would be fun not just for Christmas season, but maybe a party for "Cookies Around the World" or Valentine's Day. There are cookie shapes and recipes enough to bake something different each day of the year.

We also went ahead and double each batch to have enough extra do give around town. A neighbor, the fire station, the local shelter for abused children and women are just a few places that are glad to receive the gift.