Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Friday, March 9, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Testimony of Nancy B.
When abortion became “legal” I was 16 and pregnant. My friends told me it was no big deal and that they knew where I could go to make it go away. I hardly gave it a thought, just wanted to go back before being pregnant. I was so naïve. We went and got the pregnancy test. The day of the appt we had to stop, I got sick on the way. I remember having to go up stairs to an office behind a building. I was called in, was given the D&C (many women get d&c’s, it’s just a cleaning out of the uterus they told me, no big deal). All that remained was the bloodstained pad I wore. Now that it was over I could get on with my life, I felt relieved. I remember lying in bed when I got home which seemed like for days. Depressed, guilty, not understanding why. My friends wanted me to go to a music festival, I lay there, didn’t want to see anyone. Nobody talked about what had just happened, I didn’t talk about it either. My life spiraled down the road of despair – drinking, drugs, sex. I didn’t even know why I was going to college. The drinking and drugs continued, sex with a new boyfriend. I hardly attended class. I was withdrawn, depressed. I did all kinds of drugs. A friend told me I should get help, what did she know, I thought. I dropped out of college and moved back home, I wasn’t college material. After a while I decided to go to Tech school. It was good, yet the drugs continued and the sex. I got pregnant and quit school, got a full time job, had the baby, then got married. It just seemed the right thing to do. I got married for security reasons. It wasn’t long before my husband told me he was having an affair. We had two children. My life was shattered. I couldn’t bear the pain. Our family never had a chance to develop and our marriage meant even less. I took the children and left him but continued to secretly see him. Six months later I found out I was pregnant again. I felt so alone, betrayed, no one understood what I was going through, no one supported me or encouraged me. Instead they said that I should get an abortion. And then told me I wasn’t fit to raise three children alone. I was ashamed of my pregnancy, I felt scandalized and cheap. I blamed myself. So, one cold freezing day in November my sister took me. It was a darker place than last time and again I went up the stairs. I remember lying on the table. I heard the clinking of instruments, the vacuum. I tried to mentally remove myself from the surroundings. Afterwards, I was taken to a room to recover. There was another girl there, she was sad. We didn’t talk. As I lay there, I knew that I had rejected God and ignored His plea to trust Him. I felt so empty. On the way back down the stairs I remember people in a lab examining things, my baby probably. Upon reaching the parking lot, God provided a sign to me, a car with a Satanic Symbol bumper sticker. It confirmed to me that I had just participated in an evil act and had indeed turned away from God. I was so disgusted with myself and was helplessly longing for love that I retuned to my husband. A year later, I had the baby boy that everyone in the family adored, except me. I loved him and my two girls, but didn’t understand at the time I was suffering post-abortion stress. I felt like an inadequate mother. There was so much guilt and shame, I lived in darkness. One day I had a vision of Jesus in the Agony of the Garden. I felt like it was the end of the world. It was Good Friday; I ran to confession and confessed my abortions. Shortly afterwards, my husband started a new affair, this time with the babysitter. I became self-abusive; I cried so much I wished I would die. I packed my bags and the kids and I left. I was a lonely single mother. I loved my kids and truly enjoyed spending time with them; we had so much fun together. I didn’t give myself time to heal; I buried my pain and clung to the first man that entered my life. Then I had a break down. I felt so unworthy of being a mother to my children. I felt that my children would be better off without me. So, I left. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. I withdrew from the world. I spent days in my new boyfriend’s apartment, lying in the bedroom. He was very supportive and his family was caring and Catholic. They encouraged me to go to college. They didn’t know of the abortions and he didn’t either. I felt I had to prove to myself that I could accomplish something this goal. The children would come to stay on the weekends. It was good most times. God was continuing to call me to return to Him. I returned to Mass. My boyfriend became Catholic and we got married. After a year of happiness it started to get more and more difficult. He was very controlling, verbally abusive; I refused to acknowledge it. I felt that I deserved it and accepted this way of life. My relationship with my children was deteriorating before my eyes. But I kept faithful to God, praying for the best to come of my situation. I heard about Rachel’s Vineyard and attended the first RV in our diocese in 2007, without the support of my husband. The weekend retreat changed my life. I was finally able to grieve my loss and accept God’s forgiveness and to forgive myself. I accepted that my children are with Jesus. My life of darkness replaced with His light. I started going to counseling and was treated for depression. My relationship with my children got better. God gave me the courage to end the abusive relationship I was in and to accept that He had better plans for me plans to give me hope and a future. After attending my first March for Life in 2009 I felt a tug on my heart to be Silent No More. I have learned to put my trust in God alone; He does not condemn me, my children in heaven do not condemn me. My children with me during my time on earth do not condemn, I do not condemn me. He is the One that gives me the courage to speak the truth. I hope that my testimony can be used towards the day when no more babies die and no more mothers cry. Because of this, I am Silent No More.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Smoking Marijuana While Pregnant
Smoking Marijuana While Pregnant
Let me tell you a dirty story.
I met a woman years ago. She was in her fifties and we worked together. She had married a little later in life and her husband was older than her and had already had children. She had never had any children that were her "own". As I got to know her better I found that this was actually not a choice. She had never adopted because her husband hadn't wanted to as he already had children. But she had never had biological children for another reason.
As a teenager she had cancer cells in her female parts. Very young, long before she ever married she had to have her uterus removed, and along with it any chance of becoming pregnant or giving birth.
I found that when she was still quite young she had received a cash settlement for what had happened to her. This was something she was born with, but not something she had to be born with.
Her mother had been given an anti- miscarriage drug when she was pregnant with her, and many years down the road, doctors had found that, though the babies appeared fine and healthy, as the female children reached adulthood they had a much higher chance of some female cancers. The drug was called Diethylstilbestrol or DES and you can read about it here.
She told me that the cash settlement was small comfort, that she would have much preferred to have had children. It was obvious that this was defining part of her life.
Drugs While Pregnant-Now you might be wondering what the heck this has to do with smoking marijuana while you are pregnant. The answer is, simply, a lot.
(I should probably start off by admitting my bias here- I avoid all drugs at all times of my life pregnant or not. There are many reasons for this. But one of the reasons I avoid drugs while pregnant is that I buy into the idea that Dr Bradley espoused that NO drugs are proven safe for the unborn fetus. When it comes to the health of our children, it is better to be safe than sorry.)
So what does DES in pregnancy have to do with marijuana in pregnancy?
DES was a drug (and for the record, not the only one) prescribed for pregnant women. It was considered safe. Babies were born and they appeared healthy. They were perfectly smart, alert, happy and normal.
There were however distinct side effects. They were just invisible for many many years. I would contend that this is not the only drug (prescribed or not, organic or in pill form) that a pregnant woman can take and still appear to have a healthy baby.You also might be wondering why the heck I would bother in a million years writing about this. Doesn't everybody know that you shouldn't do drugs while you are pregnant?
The answer to the second question is a resounding NO. I live in an area of the country where marijuana is a huge part of the economy. It is also often grown organically and there are many people out there not only saying that it is safe but that it is in fact GOOD for you. And, as it turns out, you can find plenty of stuff online (thank you Internet) that supports the idea that marijuana is perfectly safe to use even while you are pregnant.
Marijuana is a Drug-It is actually easy to find information supporting the idea that marijuana is good for you. I would say that it is in fact a drug, and that is why you feel different when you use it. The pictures above are of two brains. They are SPECT scans, on the left of a normal healthy brain, and on the right, a brain of somebody who uses marijuana.
There is an obvious difference in brain function, is there not?
Yes you can get marijuana that is organic. Yes, it may appear to do positive things for your health (though I would make the case that it is not however healing you, it is simply not allowing the brain to communicate well enough with the body for you to receive pain signals, just like any other pain killer does). But, whatever the positive aspects of marijuana, it most definitely influences brain function.
But What About the Baby?-What about the baby? I honestly do not know that marijuana harms the baby of the mother who is smoking it. You can go to online forums and find many mothers touting the benefits they received while pregnant to smoking marijuana (better appetite, decreased nausea, less stress).
I would adamantly contend though that your baby is not worth even a hypothetical risk. There is no doubt that marijuana crosses to the brain of the person using it. That is why you feel "high" or why your pain is gone. It is not healing you of anything, it is limiting brain communication with the body.
It Is Not All About Mama-I love natural birth and you will hear me and many other natural birth fanatics touting the benefits of natural birth for the mother. We talk about lower c-section rates and the birth high and faster recovery.
We talk about the benefits to the mother so often in fact that sometimes I wonder if we forget about the baby.
Natural, undrugged pregnancy and birth is not just about the mother and her "choices" though. It is very important to me that women be allowed to choose what is best for them and their babies and not be forced into anything. But if we get too obsessed with the mothers needs we forget about a very important player, and that is the baby.
We as mothers must choose what is best for our babies. Motherhood does not begin at the birth, it begins as soon as we get pregnant. Weather that pregnancy is planned or not, it matters not.
As soon as we have that baby inside of us it is time to start making choices for somebody else besides ourself, and choosing them first.
In part this means giving up things that we like if they are not good for the baby. It also means giving up things just in case they are bad for the baby.
Doctors; trained, educated, physicians wrote prescriptions for DES specifically for pregnant women literally for YEARS. They thought it was safe. They were wrong. They were so wrong that it influenced the lives of thousands of women in a way that wouldn't be manifest for years and years after their births.
I don't care if you can find studies saying that smoking marijuana is safe for your baby. Your baby is not worth the risk. Studies change year after year. Medicine and what is "true" within it changes quickly. Culture accepts something as normal and then 20 years later considers it offensive.
One thing that is true forever is that mothers must choose what is best for their children and be willing to sacrifice to give it to them. Another truth is that we must not take chances with our babies. No drug is proven safe for the unborn child. NONE.
I met a woman years ago. She was in her fifties and we worked together. She had married a little later in life and her husband was older than her and had already had children. She had never had any children that were her "own". As I got to know her better I found that this was actually not a choice. She had never adopted because her husband hadn't wanted to as he already had children. But she had never had biological children for another reason.
As a teenager she had cancer cells in her female parts. Very young, long before she ever married she had to have her uterus removed, and along with it any chance of becoming pregnant or giving birth.
I found that when she was still quite young she had received a cash settlement for what had happened to her. This was something she was born with, but not something she had to be born with.
Her mother had been given an anti- miscarriage drug when she was pregnant with her, and many years down the road, doctors had found that, though the babies appeared fine and healthy, as the female children reached adulthood they had a much higher chance of some female cancers. The drug was called Diethylstilbestrol or DES and you can read about it here.
She told me that the cash settlement was small comfort, that she would have much preferred to have had children. It was obvious that this was defining part of her life.
Drugs While Pregnant-Now you might be wondering what the heck this has to do with smoking marijuana while you are pregnant. The answer is, simply, a lot.
(I should probably start off by admitting my bias here- I avoid all drugs at all times of my life pregnant or not. There are many reasons for this. But one of the reasons I avoid drugs while pregnant is that I buy into the idea that Dr Bradley espoused that NO drugs are proven safe for the unborn fetus. When it comes to the health of our children, it is better to be safe than sorry.)
So what does DES in pregnancy have to do with marijuana in pregnancy?
DES was a drug (and for the record, not the only one) prescribed for pregnant women. It was considered safe. Babies were born and they appeared healthy. They were perfectly smart, alert, happy and normal.
There were however distinct side effects. They were just invisible for many many years. I would contend that this is not the only drug (prescribed or not, organic or in pill form) that a pregnant woman can take and still appear to have a healthy baby.You also might be wondering why the heck I would bother in a million years writing about this. Doesn't everybody know that you shouldn't do drugs while you are pregnant?
The answer to the second question is a resounding NO. I live in an area of the country where marijuana is a huge part of the economy. It is also often grown organically and there are many people out there not only saying that it is safe but that it is in fact GOOD for you. And, as it turns out, you can find plenty of stuff online (thank you Internet) that supports the idea that marijuana is perfectly safe to use even while you are pregnant.
Marijuana is a Drug-It is actually easy to find information supporting the idea that marijuana is good for you. I would say that it is in fact a drug, and that is why you feel different when you use it. The pictures above are of two brains. They are SPECT scans, on the left of a normal healthy brain, and on the right, a brain of somebody who uses marijuana.
There is an obvious difference in brain function, is there not?
Yes you can get marijuana that is organic. Yes, it may appear to do positive things for your health (though I would make the case that it is not however healing you, it is simply not allowing the brain to communicate well enough with the body for you to receive pain signals, just like any other pain killer does). But, whatever the positive aspects of marijuana, it most definitely influences brain function.
But What About the Baby?-What about the baby? I honestly do not know that marijuana harms the baby of the mother who is smoking it. You can go to online forums and find many mothers touting the benefits they received while pregnant to smoking marijuana (better appetite, decreased nausea, less stress).
I would adamantly contend though that your baby is not worth even a hypothetical risk. There is no doubt that marijuana crosses to the brain of the person using it. That is why you feel "high" or why your pain is gone. It is not healing you of anything, it is limiting brain communication with the body.
It Is Not All About Mama-I love natural birth and you will hear me and many other natural birth fanatics touting the benefits of natural birth for the mother. We talk about lower c-section rates and the birth high and faster recovery.
We talk about the benefits to the mother so often in fact that sometimes I wonder if we forget about the baby.
Natural, undrugged pregnancy and birth is not just about the mother and her "choices" though. It is very important to me that women be allowed to choose what is best for them and their babies and not be forced into anything. But if we get too obsessed with the mothers needs we forget about a very important player, and that is the baby.
We as mothers must choose what is best for our babies. Motherhood does not begin at the birth, it begins as soon as we get pregnant. Weather that pregnancy is planned or not, it matters not.
As soon as we have that baby inside of us it is time to start making choices for somebody else besides ourself, and choosing them first.
In part this means giving up things that we like if they are not good for the baby. It also means giving up things just in case they are bad for the baby.
Doctors; trained, educated, physicians wrote prescriptions for DES specifically for pregnant women literally for YEARS. They thought it was safe. They were wrong. They were so wrong that it influenced the lives of thousands of women in a way that wouldn't be manifest for years and years after their births.
I don't care if you can find studies saying that smoking marijuana is safe for your baby. Your baby is not worth the risk. Studies change year after year. Medicine and what is "true" within it changes quickly. Culture accepts something as normal and then 20 years later considers it offensive.
One thing that is true forever is that mothers must choose what is best for their children and be willing to sacrifice to give it to them. Another truth is that we must not take chances with our babies. No drug is proven safe for the unborn child. NONE.
(If
you suffer extensively from nausea due to pregnancy, please look here
for dietary tips that can help remedy many pregnancy symptoms. Remember also
that bodily discomforts are your bodies way of trying desperately to tell you
something, they are not trying to punish you unnecessarily.)
To read more articles by Mama Birth, or to read comments regarding this article click here!
Added after the original post- The Jamaican study is often given as proof that smoking weed while pregnant is safe. I don't believe that this study proves that at all (I know- surprise surprise) I cover that in depth here.)
Added after the original post- The Jamaican study is often given as proof that smoking weed while pregnant is safe. I don't believe that this study proves that at all (I know- surprise surprise) I cover that in depth here.)
THC = “THE HEAVENLY CURE” by Danielle Kekoa
Do you think that smoking or consuming marijuana during pregnancy and while breastfeeding is considered child abuse? Leave your comments below or send me an email.
Do you think that smoking or consuming marijuana during pregnancy and while breastfeeding is considered child abuse? Leave your comments below or send me an email.