July 2001 Newsletter
July 23, 2001
+ Important information about this list
+ Mother to Mother
+ Did you know.
+ Jubilant Birth
+ Litters
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Important information about this list..
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Thank you very
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<<<>>>
(Ed. Note: Catherine is working in her raspberry garden! She thanks
you all for your letters of concern)
<<<>>>
Mother to Mother - reprint from Summer 1995 Compleat Mother magazine
I know a lady whose medical-doctor-husband told her to quit nursing their
nine-month old baby, or he would leave her for his receptionist. She
weaned the baby; hubby took off the week after her breasts were dry.
Be strong, be strong.
I know two sisters, a single woman and her elder sister whose husband
suffered from Alzheimer's disease for a decade before he died. The single
woman told her sister she must not dance, date, or visit with whole men,
or she wouldn't speak to her. A month after the poor Alzheimer victim
died, the elder sister finally went to a single's dance and the younger
sister hasn't recognized her existence, ever since.
Be strong, be strong.
I know a farmer woman who had sixty thousand dollars in the bank for three
years, in a savings account. The opportunity came when she could buy her
own farm, if she could only borrow ten thousand dollars more. The bank
loans officer, another woman, laughed in her face, and said she wasn't a
good risk, and to go away.
Be strong, be strong.
I know a man who built his wife a house and a cottage, a studio and an
exercise gymnasium for her 40th birthday. While he was busy, she had an
affair with the postman, and later ran away with a twenty year old
epileptic on welfare.
Be strong, be strong.
The older I get, the more I see nothing in life is simple; betrayal and
unfairness are behind many hedges and probably through the next door.
But - we are strong. When the unfaithful doctor-husband left, the wise
wife dried her eyes, filed her child-support payments, and I found her joy
was independent of a critical mate.
The elder sister found friends of both sexes, who shared long
considerations with her, meals, trips, and yes, there was eventually a
special man who shared her bed.
The bank didn't help the farmer achieve her dream, but a trust company
did, and when that loan was paid, she made another for a brand new car. It
gets fifty miles to the gallon, but never goes near the stingy bank.
The man whose wife left wept for a long time, then remembered he loved
playing billiards, and entered tournaments, some of which he won.
They were all eventually strong. If you won't turn another page or read
another line, what I'm trying to leave you with is this: Throughout your
own personal trials, be strong. Mortal people, spouses, siblings, bankers,
pediatricians, neighbours, whatever, will act savagely and stupidly at
times. We are all, often, betrayed. Know you belong to a marvelous
fraternity of other people who have looked at the grisly truth, and kept
looking until we saw a prettier picture appear.
Especially it is important to be strong when you are pregnant, while
birthing, as you breastfeed and dance through life around the obstacles in
your way, because then you must be strong for two, and the baby is
vulnerable indeed. Often I will be hard; this magazine is a forum for you
to draw strength from.
Last issue (Spring 1995) I told you my son was hit by a truck. Today he
played volleyball over a net made of his crutches and walker. He beat me
5-3 then limped into the kitchen for a glass of water. Thank you all for
your kind words, thoughts and prayers. They gave us strength and joy. His
recovery is remarkable.
~Catherine~
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DID YOU KNOW .. .
***Good sources of calcium include: yogurt, milk, cheese,
calcium-fortified fruit punch, tofu, and greens like spinach, bok choy
("Chinese cabbage"), and turnip greens.
***The milk with the lowest protein content is human milk (1 gram %).
Compare that to a rat's of 12 grams %. The fat content also varies a lot.
Human milk has 4.5 grams % fat, which is a little bit less than in bovine.
Marine mammals' milk has a fat content of up to 50 gramps %. The amount of
milk that mammal's drink is also extraordinary. A blue whale calf drinks
380 liters of milk each day and puts on 90kg each day!
--from Breastfeding Association of South Africa
*** Vaccines can contain preservatives, other viruses, mercury, aluminum,
formaldehyde and detectable particles from animal cells and serum
***The measles, TB, whooping cough and diptheria vaccines were introduced
after these diseases had declined. Diseases do undergo a natural decline
and this is shown clearly in the history of scarlet fever where no vaccine
was introduced.
***Are you aware that your child could experience any of the following
adverse reactions from a vaccine? Fever, a painful red hard lump around
the injection site, pallor, irritability, rigidity, unresponsiveness,
interrupted sleep or excessive sleepiness, vomiting, diarrhea,
inconsolable screaming, paralysis, encephalitis, infantile spasms,
blindness, behaviour problems, auto-immune diabetes, immune malfunction,
arthritis, epilepsy, brain damage, cerebral palsy, death.
<<<>>>
JUBILANT BIRTH
I was delighted, empowered, encouraged, supported and most of all in
charge of my own health, pregnanacy and birth. Elijah James was born on a
birthing stool in our living room into his daddy's hands. He was the
biggest of our three but it was a quick, jubilant jewel in my birthing
crown, the elation of which is still very fresh. Despite incredible
respect I have for my midwives knowledge and skill and the role it played,
she never once let me feel it was anyone but me who was responsible for my
birth. My power, my energy, my birth, my baby. No interventions, no doubts
in my body's ability. Elijah was placed by his ecstatic father into my
arms where he remained for the remainder of the day.
Our midwives then shared in our joy with a hearty breakfast and helped me
into a herbal bath and left me with some naturopathic remedies to aid
healing.
--Mary Lynn Wilson, Ontario
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LITTERS
I always enjoy a non-mainstream magazine.
- Ann Zaks, Maryland
Thanks much for much effort toward worthwhile goas.
- Ruth Egel, Israel
Subscribed again after a three year hiatus. The Mother is even better than
before.
- Monica Reid, Ontario
We enjoyed The Mother at at he Waterbirth Workshop we sponsored and feel
it is an excellent addition to our prenatal packages.
- Diane Klatze, Dr. Janette Hurley, Alberta
Picked up MOTHER to shock my mother-in-law.
- Cathy Johnson, Alberta
Renew for another two years. I've included a little extra for anyone who
cannot afford a subscription of alternatives to the terrifying, medically
oriented, bottle/formula "Parents" magazines.
- Kim James, Arizona
I'll pass The Mother out at libraries, mother's meetings, LLL, my
homeschooling group, my church, etc.
- Benita Oliver, New York
My artsy-fartsy friends can't understand the magnitude of felling
generated by a grubby little banana-encrusted baby, but you can.
- Anne Pyterek, Illinois
I saw 20/20 this evening, you awful breastfeeding zealots and bullies
(can't forget bullies) did a marvelous job. You've kept me as close to
sane as I can possibly be in this twisted world. Latch me on to another
year in bulk.
- Christine Hallett, California
I showed The Mother to my sister. She said, "I didn't know we were so
different." My mother said, "I don't care for this
magazine." Send us two more years.
- Melissa Zieve, Maryland
<<<>>>
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Jody McLaughlin
Greg Cryns
Inside Mother
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Birth,
Joy, & Raspberry Leaves
-a new video compiled by Catherine and Amanda Young
of The Compleat Mother
Go HERE for more information on the waterbirth video!
Click here to read:
The Farmer and the Obstetrician
Click here for the Home Sweet Homebirth (Video)
