wow. i just wasted some time on a pregnancy forum to see if there was anything interesting i should be thinking about (there isn't, it's all "am i pregnant?" posts as usual), but i've been kind of intrigued by the forums made for new dads... so i spent a few minutes browsing those posts, and about 90% of them are along the lines of: help! my pregnant gf/wife hates me! scary shit.

so i read through a few of them, and man, these poor poor guys are being completely abused by ragingly psychotic hormonal women. kicked out of the house, told they aren't loved, screamed at for nothing... and the guys unanimously say "she is my life, i love her and i'll do anything" in response! but their women just don't care. even the men who sound like they really handle shit and go out their way to be helpful are being treated horribly. and the women who respond to the cries for help basically say, yep, it's hormones, i hated my husband too, just wait it out.

hormones?! if my hormones made me hate matt i would die. he would die. i am suddenly extremely thankful that my mood swings only lasted a week or two and were never directed at matt. i'm starting to think i'm also very lucky that he's not home 5 nights a week. i did get pretty pissy that he stole all the freshly-baked cookies yesterday (and the day before)! but not enough to hate him over it... though if he did it all the time... *twitch*

in other news, the baby seems to be moving a lot more lately, or else i am just noticing it more since it's "about the size of a turnip" ...however big that is! i guess i should call it little turnip now. haha.

and (TMI warning!) this is weird, but i've been noticing that my boobs tingle in response to certain phrases, ideas, song lyrics, etc... even pictures and live babies sometimes make them tingle. i'm sure it's perfectly normal (seems logical to me) but it is odd! i swear it feels like they are trying really hard to do their thing... it's just too early.

i started reading "the scientification of love" by michel odent last night. i quite like him, though the book itself isn't exactly easy reading... his english is fine but i suspect the book was written in french and translated, because it has a slightly unnatural feel to the language, even though it perfectly conveys the message. it's a series of very short, kind of choppy chapters detailing new insights on "the scientification of love" from various disconnected research perspectives, so you really have to work to make the connections yourself; science hasn't done it for you. as he describes it, the subject is like a mirror broken into a thousand pieces and each science has one piece but can't see how it fits with the others. he's trying to fit them together himself.

anyway the reason for this post is that there was a paragraph that really struck me, in which he was talking about how back in the 70s the idea that since no other natural physiological process is painful, birth pain must be culturally created. (i've talked about this before and it made a lot of sense to me.) but he says that's wrong... that hormonally we need labor to be painful so that our bodies will release endorphins which facilitate and possibly even trigger the actions of the more important birth/love/bonding hormones (oxytocin and prolactin). that totally blew me away. maybe birth is supposed to be painful? maybe we should be glad that it is! even after the pain stops the endorphins continue to flow for hours after birth...

it's interesting to me because the "cultural delusion" theory totally made sense to me, and i think in part it is still true... we are super scared of labor and conditioned to expect agony our whole lives... but maybe, rather than creating the pain outright, our fears and expectations simply intensify the feelings we would naturally already be having (and put a scary spin on them).

to be honest, i love the idea that the pain helps make birth more pleasant; because in the end, that is what the effect is. i want to be thankful for all aspects of my birth, however difficult they may be. and pain=endorphins=hormone cascade=bonding=love. it's another great reason not to use drugs in labor... you miss out on the pleasure that directly results from the pain. (of course, you still release the bonding hormones during breastfeeding even if you have an anaesthetized or sedated birth.)

fascinating. odent rocks.

did you really have any doubt that this news would be in the headlines soon? as soon as they found it in "chinese milk products" i knew we had an overarching problem as well.

this is from naturalnews.com:

90 Percent of U.S. Infant Formula May Be Contaminated with Melamine; FDA Abruptly Declares Chemical Safe for Babies

by Mike Adams, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) Up to 90 percent of the infant formula sold in the United States may be contaminated with trace amounts of melamine, the toxic chemical linked to kidney damage, according to recent tests. The FDA's test results, which the agency hid from the public and only released after the Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request, showed that Nestle, Mead Johnson and Enfamil infant formula products were all contaminated with melamine.

The AP is also reporting that Abbott Laboratories conducted its own in-house tests that detected trace levels of melamine in its formula products. Together, these infant formula manufacturers make about 90 percent of the infant formula sold in the United States.

Prior to these test results being made public, the FDA had published a document on its website that explained there was no safe level of melamine contamination in infant formula. Specifically, the FDA stated, "FDA is currently unable to establish any level of melamine and melamine-related compounds in infant formula that does not raise public health concerns."

Once tests found melamine in U.S.-made formula products, however, the FDA changed its story. As of today, the FDA has now officially declared melamine to be safe in infant formula as long as the contamination level is less than one part per million (1 ppm).

Astonishingly: The FDA has no new science to justify its abrupt decision declaring melamine to be safe!

Protecting Big Business instead of American babies

Rather than being based on science, the FDA's decision appears to be based entirely on creating cover for U.S. infant formula manufacturers whose products were found to be contaminated with melamine. The "acceptable" level of contamination (1 ppm) is conveniently just above the levels found in U.S. infant formula products, thus placing U.S. infant formula in the "safe" contamination level category.

And yet the FDA has conducted no safety testing whatsoever to determine whether 1ppm of melamine is safe for infants to consume. There is no science involved in this decision whatsoever. Rather than this decision being based on science, the FDA is once again resorting to politically-motivated decisions that seek to protect the profits of Big Business rather than the safety of infants and children.

Recall that the FDA also recently declared Bisphenol-A to be safe for infants to consume, even while countries like Canada banned the chemical from baby bottles. The FDA, it seems has never met a corporate-sponsored chemical it didn't like.

Where did the melamine come from?

Laughingly, the FDA claims the 1ppm of melamine in U.S. infant formula must have come from the manufacturing machines or food packaging equipment. And yet the AP is reporting that the expected level of melamine contamination from manufacturing equipment is only 15 ppb (parts per billion).

But the FDA's own tests on Mead Johnson infant formula reveal it to contain 245 ppb, or 1600% more than what would be expected to exists due to melamine contamination from manufacturing equipment.

There are two really important questions that any intelligent consumer should be asking about all this:

Question #1) If the manufacturing and packaging equipment is contaminated with melamine, does this mean that ALL food products containing milk protein are similarly contaminated? The same companies that make infant formula also make Slim Fast, Ensure and Boost -- all are milk protein-based meal replacement products containing many of the same ingredients as infant formula. Are they contaminated with melamine, too?

Question #2) If manufacturing and packaging machinery should only result in melamine contamination levels of 15 ppb, and yet 245 ppb were found in the infant formula, then where did all the extra melamine come from? The FDA has no explanation for this and seems to hope people will forget to ask.

Two theories of melamine contamination

I offer two theories to explain the melamine contamination of these products. Obviously, the contamination could not be caused by the manufacturing and packaging of the product, because the melamine levels already found in U.S. infant formula products greatly exceed the expected levels from such manufacturing and packaging. The following two theories may explain the additional levels of detected melamine.

Theory #1: The infant formula is adulterated with melamine

This is what happened in China: Infant formula manufacturers added melamine to their milk protein to bulk up the product without adding much cost (melamine is much cheaper than milk protein). Because melamine's chemical profile is strikingly similar to milk protein, it can often fool simple protein analysis tests and appear to be legitimate.

If infant formula products use any milk protein from China, it could very easily have been adulterated with melamine. However, this is just a theory, and NaturalNews has no evidence that U.S. infant formula manufacturers actually used milk protein from China. Thus, we do not believe Theory #1 to be correct. Theory #2, below, seems more likely.

Theory #2: U.S. dairy operations are using animal feed contaminated with melamine

Because melamine is passed through cow's milk, the contamination of U.S. dairy cows with melamine through their feed could result in high melamine concentrations in the resulting milk proteins.

China has already admitted that melamine has been detected in alarming quantities in animal feed there, and tests have already shown chickens to be contaminated with the chemical. The question today is this: Do U.S. dairy farms use animal feed containing ingredients imported from China?

If so, then we may have a problem here that's much, much bigger than infant formula. We may have a dairy industry that's producing melamine-contaminated milk, which could mean that virtually all milk, yoghurt, butter and cheese produced in the U.S. might be contaminated with some level of melamine.

Again, NaturalNews has no proof that this is the situation, but the melamine must have come from somewhere. It didn't just spontaneously generate in the infant formula as the FDA would seemingly want us to believe. If the milk proteins in infant formula are contaminated with melamine, then it stands to reason that the milk proteins used throughout the food supply may also be contaminated.

We may, indeed, be looking at an industry-wide problem here. Powdered milk, meal replacement products and even milk protein drinks may all be contaminated with melamine at levels similar to the infant formula products.

Because you have to follow the logic here: Either the infant formula manufacturers ADDED melamine to their products (highly unlikely), or the entire milk product industry has a melamine problem.

You can't logically conclude that these infant formula manufacturers somehow got all the melamine-contaminated milk proteins but everybody else got melamine-free milk proteins. Milk proteins are a commodity in the food industry, and milk from thousands of different cows can all be mixed together in a single pound of milk protein. What could be happening here is that one dairy farm may have highly-contaminated cows because it used cheap feed fillers from China.

At this point, this is all just a theory, but it's a theory that makes sense. It makes a lot more sense than the FDA's theory that there's no problem and babies should just keep drinking melamine (and Bisphenol-A, for that matter...) and the press should stop asking questions.

Secret tests and public lies

There's no doubt that these infant formula manufacturers are pursuing the very same contamination theories I'm describing here. They're probably scrambling to test their milk protein sources, trying to figure out where all the extra melamine is coming from.

As usual, they'll try to keep the test results secret, preventing this from exploding into a much larger public health issue. The FDA, for its part, will continue to conduct any actual science in secret, preventing the public from knowing the tests results unless it is sued by organizations like the AP.

That's assuming the FDA conducts any science at all, because now the FDA believes it can declare contaminants to be safe at a level it just invents on the spot, without conducting any science whatsoever. The FDA is playing "Wheel of Fortune" with public safety (http://www.naturalnews.com/023681.html), and it's relying on guessing games - rather than actual science - to declare safety levels of chemicals it doesn't even understand.

The upshot of all this is really quite simple: People who feed their babies manufactured, mainstream infant formula products are fools! If there was ever a reason to breastfeed your baby, this is it. And if you're looking for truly safe infant formula products, go with natural brands such as Genesis Organics Goat Milk Formula (www.GenesisOrganics.com) or other "natural" brands that don't use cheap cow's milk proteins.

After all, it's quite clear at this point that the FDA doesn't care about your baby's health. You're the only one who can protect your baby from melamine. The FDA flat out refuses to do so. In fact, it's doing the opposite by declaring melamine to be safe!

So stop buying conventional infant formula products and start feeding your baby what it was meant to consume: Human breast milk from a healthy, well-nourished mom who eats lots of omega-3 oils and superfoods.

That's the best infant formula in the world. And by the way, human babies shouldn't be drinking bovine milk in the first place. The whole infant formula industry was a scam long before melamine came along. Now it's a contaminated scam.

***

while the author is kind of a dick about it, i have to agree... human babies were meant to drink human milk, not cow's milk. if you have trouble breast feeding, contact la leche league or the place you birthed at--they WILL have help for you. and don't automatically believe your doc when he tells you your baby is not getting enough nutrition from your breasts. if the baby is happy and feeding, you are doing just fine. every person is different; all medical standards are the same.

Naturebirth by Danae Brook

synopsis: a woman in the 70s who had a rough first birth experience shares her acquired wisdom after working with an awesome mentor during her next two births. lots of statistical info (now outdated) and really raw, practical, accessible knowledge from a woman who understands what birth is and is not.

target audience: all pregnant women! especially those who want to feel empowered in a real sense, and maybe those who didn't know they needed to. birth partners, doulas, and professionals will benefit greatly as well.

notes: while the title attracts more hippie-type readers, probably, it was actually a very balanced book. she does a great job raising metaphysical questions without being fluffy or flaky, and she really doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of birth, either. everything from breathing exercises to medications/illegal drugs and side effects to whether the manner of birth affects the personality of the child.

rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars because i loved every minute of this book. she is a powerful writer with a valuable perspective on everything she writes about. she really emphasizes the importance of the man's (or partner's) role in pregnancy, birth, and childrearing, giving the partner a real sense of worth and purpose... pregnancy and birth are not about excluding the other DNA contributor, and she does a great job pointing out that pregnant women really *need* their lovers to be around. half a star lost because i got annoyed that she defended episiotomies as a way "to prevent severe tearing" which it is absolutely not. i assume wisdom and common sense have increased over the last 30 years, which is why she only lost half a star for the mistake. overall: read it!

this was the wreck of a space called our "spare bedroom" at the beginning of my revamping process. hell, isn't it? the shot of bare drywall is where matt flipped the closet out of that room into our bedroom (a week after we moved in 3+ years ago). i finished it last month.

as soon as i paint and build the tree i will take "after" pictures. i just wanted to set the mood with these awful before pics first, haha.

i am almost halfway there already! ahh!

this will not be a complaining post, but i just want to reiterate that even the wonderful midwives at the birth center are bottom-line driven by fear of the constraints placed upon them by their "superiors" at the AMA and florida legislature. *sigh* for a second at my last appt the chick nearly freaked that i was able to feel the baby already, thinking my dates 'must be off by a lot' and worrying that we needed to adjust them so i don't end up birthing too early and blah blah... but then she felt my belly and decided i'm on schedule. but she couldn't believe that i might just be feeling it so early. blah... i'm not lying...

so yeah, my belly is seriously growing now. it's the strangest thing to be able to watch your body change and have no control over it whatsoever, and to know that nothing you do will stop or speed up the process. usually you get fat (eating too much) or thin (working out/not eating) but ultimately it's your choices and actions that make the difference. not this time, and it's weird! i mean, i feel like a spectator in some sense... i get to wake up and say "oh, look, it's bigger! funny." and it is funny.

but i got some cute sweaters to fit over the expansion so i am ready for winter! now i just need a few more warmish skirts and i'll be set :)

no new reminders (aka symptoms) lately... headaches remain pretty mild but otherwise i feel great. yay!