This is a study that looks at how thoughts and beliefs about ourselves and other
people might influence how we respond to birth. if you have given birth to a
child in the last 3years and would like to take part in this study, please click
here...
http://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/sussex/childbirthstudy
Thank you.

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Best regards,

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Hi there!

I am conducting research at the University of Sussex about women's
beliefs and assumptions and how they can affect the experience of
childbirth. I would be very grateful if you could fill in an online
questionnaire.

It can be found at:

http://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/sussex/childbirthstudy

Thanks very much!

Emma

Hello!!
How are you doing, Highregard? Dimond? all??
what is new with you all?

Highregard, did you go with a midwife or an OB with your suprise
baby? I have noted some midwifes are not so hot, and others are
terrific. Did you just use an OB, did it all ogo ok? how old is the
baby now?

Baby Titan is almost 6 months, the time has flown by. We moved from
Tennessee to Oregon in May.... whew! that was tough with a
breastfeeding baby! I had to drive our excursion with 6 of the 7 kids
and Dad drove the moving truck with one kids. Such a LONG trip. We
dorve 4 days straight, 8-10 hrs a day, then rested 2 days with
friends in Colorado, then drove another 4 days to OR. Then it took 2+
weeks to work out the house details... We all squeezed into one hotel
room, hubby and I on one bed, and three kids in the bed, three on the
floor, then the next night, the kids would switch... Titan was in the
bed with my hubby and myself.

Now I am still unpacking... slowly finding activities for the kids.
we joined the Y, need to loose this baby fat...

how are you all doing this summer?
: )
Dana

Hello All ! 

 Baby Titan was born Dec 29, 2007..... 9 lb 12 oz and only 19 1/2 inches long , but a 14 inch head and a 15 1/2 inch chest!! yeeeow!

 

First, I am so happy to tell you all that our baby was born full term and healthy. He is 7 weeks old today. I have been enjoying his baby-moon. He is sweet, mellow and loves to nurse. He stares into my eyes so peacefully, content. God is so good. He was born at home (our new rental house, in Tennessee). Having a midwife was a bit of a trick. My homebirth midwife dropped me at 36 weeks! I had no one and was new to town. I posted a request of "did anyone know a mdwife" on a tennessee yahoo group. I got one ladies phone number and called her. I met her THAT day and 2 days later, Saturday, she caught my baby. I had considered doing it ourselves (we had one born in the truck on the way to the hospital 11 yrs ago), but it was a VERY good thing she was here... Titan's sholders got stuck, bad. she tried 3 different things and finally just reached in and slipped her thin hand on his back and pushed him around to turn more and then my husband caught him. It was much more painful than the other vaginal births, maybe it was the scar tissue or some emotional baggaage that I had a bit more of this time. But overall I am happy.

 

Dear HighRegard, .... I think I can relate some...

My preemie was born when we were headed on vacation, she was in the NICU for 5 weeks. She is three now, but only about 19 pounds. And we JUST went AGAIN to the hospital last week for more tests as to why she is not growing. I was traumatized by her c-section, by the loss of it all... for me and for her.. and for our family.

 It sounds like your care provider was negligent for your first birth. That is usually traumatic, you expect them to take care of you and your baby, but they let you down. I was let down by a homebirth midwife that failed to bring O2 to my 8,500 feet high altitude birth (that is Crazy, but she did it, the baby doesn't adapt to the low O2 enviroment in utero, it grows a bigger placenta, so almost all high altitude babies need O2...) She didn't breathe well for about 15 min. We were scared. When she was 18 months, she started having seisures when she cried out all her air. We did Cat scans, overnight sleep studies, on and on, and finally they just said it was "breathe holding". I disagreed, but she outgrew it by about 3 years. She is still so very intense and a bit ADHD, hyper... panics easily...

 

<<But what do you do when your birth trauma was caused by the hands of
<<the solution?

 

Sounds to me like you are condeming yourself. The same thing can happen and actually happens quite a lot with nurses in the hospital, ignoring a problem, sometimes a uterine rupture, sometimes just baby distress. You need to release the judgement against yourself that you caused this by your desire for a natural birth. your care provider was negilent, you were trusting them and they let your down. You are a PARTNER in PAIN with your daughter! you said it has hurt you and your family.

 

<<Long before I even conceived my first child, I started interviewing

<<midwives, birth centers and hospitals. I had an entire library of
<<books on the subject of giving birth before I was even pregnant. I
<<wanted the safest most natural birth possible for my baby.

Oh, it's ok... your knowledge isn't bad... it's not your fault!!! You just wanted the best for your baby!

I'm so sorry that bad thing happened to you... life is so unfair sometimes!

I have had occasional pangs of regret and remembering what Talia missed out on, but I am able to enjoy my new baby, Titan...

i have had that feeling, though...

 

Blessings to you as you seek healing!!

~Dana

 

---

Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.

Often times when I read about other mommies, who have suffered a
traumatic birth experience, I hear about the solution of taking a
more natural approach in subsequent pregnancies by having an out-of-
hospital birth.

But what do you do when your birth trauma was caused by the hands of
the solution?

Long before I even conceived my first child, I started interviewing
midwives, birth centers and hospitals. I had an entire library of
books on the subject of giving birth before I was even pregnant. I
wanted the safest most natural birth possible for my baby.

Our baby was born at a freestanding birth center and delivered by a
licensed midwife in Florida. Our baby was in distress during labor,
which we were not informed of, suffered severe respiratory distress
at birth, which the midwife denied was occurring, and finally when
our baby stopped breathing CPR and chest compressions were performed.
Our baby was transported by ambulance, admitted to the NICU and then
transported by helicopter and admitted to a second NICU. Our baby was
on a heart-lung bypass for 7 days...(yes, seven days)! Our baby was
diagnosed with brain damage and underwent the most horrific testing
and procedures that you can imagine on a daily basis during the 32
days she spent in the NICU.

All that being said, God had truly blessed our family because our
baby did survive.

A part of me, however, died that day.

Four years later I still have nightmares, however, they are less
frequent than they once were. I have re-lived the entire experience
countless times in my head and although the horror fades, the
memories do not go away. And the guilt that I will always carry for
choosing to trust the wrong medical professional with the birth of
one of my most precious gifts in life is much greater than most can
understand. Every time my child has to under go yet another
procedure, treatment or test in hopes of continuing to heal some of
the repercussions from their birth...I know that their pain could
have been completely prevented had I not chosen the wrong medical
professional.

I am SO eternally greatful that my child is still alive. I realize
many woman are not so fortunate. Our child has made a miraculous
recovery and although my child still has many "quality of life"
issues they are not nearly what the doctors had expected. My child
can walk and talk and has the most wonderful laugh. My child can run,
and play, and write their name. We are soooo very blessed.

Yet, my child still suffers physically and emotionally on a daily
basis. My child has been traumatized and continues to be traumatized
by her on going medical experiences.

My heart breaks for our child. I am traumatized by what our child has
been and continues to go through. My child is my hero. The strength
and courage that they have shown is much greater than my own.

Our entire family has suffered by our traumatic birth experience. It
has taken a toll on our marriage, although we are still married. It
has taken a toll on us financially. Our recentsubsequent "surprise"
child was robbed of the joyful newborn bonding experience they might
have had, had I not been so terrified of birth and had I not been
reliving the events of our first birth. Their infancy was also robbed
of some joy because I was plagued with guilt of enjoying a normal
newborn experience that I did not have with my first child. They are
still robbed of my time, energy and attention that have to go toward
caring for my special needs first child.

I have difficulty believing in myself and at times still doubt my own
judgement.

So very few people seem to be able to understand, relate and
empathize. I was hoping someone here might be able to.

Hi all,

I hope you dont mind me joining this group. I am hoping some of you
might be kind enough to take part in a study that i am currently
running regarding birth trauma.

I am conducting the research study at Sussex University with the help
of Dr Susan Ayers who has undertaken a great deal of the leading
research into Postnatal Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in this
country. The current study is investigating women's memories of
childbirth, to try to better understand what makes some birth
experiences traumatic. These research studies are contributing
enormously to our understanding of birth trauma so your help is really
appreciated.

I hope that some of you might be willing to take part and will find
the questionnaire interesting.

For further information and to fill in th questionnaire, please go to:
https://www.lifesci.sussex.ac.uk/research/psylab/rch21/page1.php

Thank you very much for your time

Rachel Harris
University of Sussex

hello,
how is everyone?

We have a new lady who joined us who needs a bit of encouragement
that it is ok to be upset with the birth, and well, you all know...
and then friends and family say crap like, "aren't you so glad about
the baby" or "why can't you just be happy?"  Welcome Rachel! Tell us
your story!!

I (Dana) now am 7 1/2 months pregnant and I have another OB appt
tomorrow. I have *yet* to tell him that I am really planning to have
the baby at home (with a midwife- if she makes it)... not sure how
to tell him... he comes in and out so fast it is hard to get the
chance.

Also, I feel I can tell you ladies, but not many other people, that
I sure hope that a "normal" (home) birth (after Talia's suprise c-
sect on vacation away from any friends or support) will prevent a
repeat of PPD, but the rest of my life is kinda nuts, now. (which
raises my risk of PPD).

We are trying to relocate to TN. Dh has a new job, a 911 dispatcher
job that right now is just a ton of training and testing. high
stress for him. We are living with our 6 kids ages 13-2 in a 39 foot
camper. It is usually a mess and hard to keep up with. which can be
depressing... but harder than that is how unconnected I feel. We
live in a fairly nice campground, but it has been really hard to
make friends. When we left Colorado, we had been in that community
for 14 yrs and I could hardly go to the grocery without seeing
someone I knew. I feel so lonely here.

So, I guess I am keeping the OB in case of PPD and if I start crying
and can't stop, I won't wait 4 months in dark agony, I'll go get
some Zoloft or something. I think he is the most VBAC friendly I can
find, but I haven't had a man OB in like 14 yrs! grosses me out to
think of him near me with my pants off. Get away! No checks, yesh!
ick! He has caught vagianl breech babies, so I know he could be
good. I just don't know.

I'd rather stay home and catch the baby myself in the bathtub and
tell the OB when it is all over. I just feel afraid to cut him off.
I guess I need to process all this...

How is everyone else doing?????

blessings!
Dana Walsh
  (moderator)

Birth trauma is a big factor in whether or not a mom gets PPD.  I
found this page online:

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/ppdepres.html#Preventing


Preventing Postpartum Depression

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

One of my very wise clients said that when she started to feel any
kind of postpartum blues, she would then refocus on her children and
bring the family circle closer together.  This seems like a very good
first remedy.



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

A new paradigm for depression in new mothers: the central role of
inflammation and how breastfeeding and anti-inflammatory treatments
protect maternal mental health
Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
International Breastfeeding Journal 2007, 2:6     doi:10.1186/1746-
4358-2-6

Breastfeeding fights depression
08 May 2007
International Breastfeeding Journal 2007; 2: 6

MedWire News: Breastfeeding can help new mothers fight depression,
research shows.

Kathleen Kendal-Tackett (University of New Hampshire) says that
depression is common among new mothers, and affects anywhere from 10
percent to 20 percent of postpartum women.

"Since depression has devastating effects on mother and baby, it's
vital that it be identified and treated promptly," she adds.

Kendal-Tackett says that new mothers experience an increase in
inflammation due to high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Common experiences associated with new motherhood such as disturbed
sleep and postpartum pain can also act as stresses that cause pro-
inflammatory levels to rise, she says.

Breastfeeding can reduce women's stress levels so that their
inflammatory response systems remain inactive. This then reduces
their risk of depression.

But Kendal-Tackett notes this is only true when breastfeeding
is "going well."

"When breastfeeding is not going well, particularly if there is pain,
it becomes a trigger to depression rather than something that lessens
the risk."

She concludes: "Mother's mental health is yet another reason to
intervene quickly when breastfeeding difficulties arise."



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Dietary folate and vitamins B(12), B(6), and B(2) intake and the risk
of postpartum depression in Japan: The Osaka Maternal and Child
Health Study.
Miyake Y, Sasaki S, Tanaka K, Yokoyama T, Ohya Y, Fukushima W, Saito
K, Ohfuji S, Kiyohara C, Hirota Y; The Osaka Maternal and Child
Health Study Group.
J Affect Disord. 2006 Jun 29

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that moderate consumption of
riboflavin may be protective against postpartum depression.



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Postpartum treatment key for depression: study - Jul 6/05 -- The key
to preventing postpartum depression may be individual support
provided after birth by a health professional and tailored to a
mother's needs, says a University of Toronto researcher.

"The evidence suggests postpartum depression may be preventable, says
Dennis. In analyzing the prevention strategies used, Dennis found an
overall 19 per cent reduction in postpartum depression. Individual
assessment and intensive support provided by a health professional to
at-risk women after they give birth was the most successful approach
to preventing postpartum depression; group-based strategies weren't
as effective. Risk factors for postpartum depression include past
psychiatric history, a significant number of life stressors and lack
of support."

Contact:  Cindy-Lee Dennis, Faculty of Nursing, (416) 946-8608; e-
mail: cindylee.dennis@...

Psychosocial and psychological interventions for prevention of
postnatal depression: systematic review.
Dennis CL.
BMJ. 2005 Jul 2;331(7507):15.

CONCLUSIONS: Diverse psychosocial or psychological interventions do
not significantly reduce the number of women who develop postnatal
depression. The most promising intervention is the provision of
intensive, professionally based postpartum support.



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Evaluation of the Edinburgh Post Natal Depression Scale using Rasch
analysis.
Pallant JF, Miller RL, Tennant A.
BMC Psychiatry. 2006 Jun 12;6:28.



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Psychological interventions fail to prevent postnatal depression -
  " . . . intensive postpartum support provided by a healthcare
professional showed a clear preventive effect."



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Baby Blues Mood Remedy from Cascade



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Resources

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----------

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Knowledge Path: Postpartum Depression has been compiled by the
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Library at Georgetown University.



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Beck Depression Inventory - a sytem of assessing level of depression
that is considered much more accurate than the Edinburgh PDS.
Purchase the BDI-II from the publisher (Harcourt Assessment)



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Beyond the Blues by Pec Indman EdD, MFT is a concise and up-to-date
book for women needing help with prenatal (pregnancy) and postpartum
depression and anxiety.



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Postpartum Distress Support from Postpartum Education for Parents in
Santa Barbara.



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

PRENATAL & POSTPARTUM 'BLUES', DEPRESSION, STRESS & ANXIETY from
radiantmother.com



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

PSI: Postpartum Support International  (They used to be Depression
after Delivery)



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

The Postpartum Depression Center of San Antonio



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Tips for Addressing the Baby Blues by Lois V. Nightingale, Ph.D.



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Notes from a Talk on Postpartum Depression



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Sacred Window Ayurveda for Mothers and Children, where You May
Discover  How to Avoid Depression and Colic And How to Enjoy Profound
Rejuvenation!



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

This study by Pauline Dillard, M.S., focused on Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) differences between women who have had cesarean
sections versus those who have had natural childbirth.



----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

"Letters to Our Sisters."
From Sharon Storton - a marriage and family therapist in Campbell,
CA, specializing in perinatal mood disorders (ppmd), adjustment and
trauma.: " (In the past, I was also an IBCLC, CBE and doula).   I
have recently begun a project entitled, "Letters to Our Sisters."  I
am collecting first person accounts in the form of letters/emails
from women who have recovered from perinatal depression, anxiety
(actually, in my mind, a bigger problem than depression!), birth
trauma, a baby in the NICU, etc. and who want to throw a life line of
support to mothers initiating the same battle.  I will keep the
letters anonymous and will strike all potentially identifying dates,
names, and details unless the author specifically asks me NOT to.  I
would like this eventual collection to be available to anyone who
asks for it, perhaps on a website.
Women are encouraged to e-mail a letter of hope and recovery to add
to this collection.  Thank you!

how is everyone doing today?

well... we just found out we are expecting again...
~that can put a tailspin in your day. I think I have adjusted to the
idea, but I am definatley hoping for a homebirth, after the suprise
c-section last time. 'Anyone relate?

My husband wants me to go to the hospital, but I already had one kid
born in the car (no joke!) and she was cold and got really bad
jandauce. She was born in February in Colorado, and the door was
open so Dad could catch. I still don't know why I didn't just let
the rest of her body come out and catch her myself. I guess I just
thought
I HAD to have his help.

Hey, check out this wild link... it is of a lady catching her own
baby. Amazing! www.unassistedchild birth.com  the video is in the
middle of the page.
lets hear from everyone...
what is going on? how are you all coping now?

Peace to you!
Dana Walsh
Moderator

Hubby has been wonderful!!  When I was in the ER and they were
prepping me for surgery, he actually acknowledged that he already
knew I was going to need to see a therapist.  He said that he knew I
would long before that, when we did the pregnancy test, because I
was HYSTERICAL then.   Managed to hold it together (no idea how)
until the repeat trauma at childbirth, but then I literally crumbled
and fell to pieces.

No one else, other than the therapist I saw, has any clue though.
And they will be even more clueless about his birthday being an
anniversary, I'm sure.  No idea how to approach it or how I will
react, since family will be in from out of state - family with no
boundaries and not an ounce of empathy/compassion.  I love them
dearly, but my family is NOT AT ALL supportive emotionally!

Thank you for sharing your experiences of your anniversaries, it
does help to know others have gone through this and that the
intensity does ease a bit with time.

I can certainly relate to the trauma being about safety.  When I was
seeing my therapist she would tell me over and over that I was safe -
  for the longest time I could not hear her, and it took longer to
believe her.  Right now, I am having to repeat those words "you are
safe" to myself over and over.  Although I'm not sure how/why, it
seems like I may already be going through some kind of trigger
reaction related to the upcoming anniversary.... confusing to me....
I don't know if it's because family is so focused on the day w/
constant conversation about travel and what gifts the baby
wants/needs or what.....

Just thinking of it approaching is about doing me in, and I am going
through memory after memory, almost like snapshots flashing through
my head, but with more emotion connected to them.

Feel like I stopped seeing my therapist a bit prematurely perhaps,
or that I at least may need to go back, but our insurance does not
cover her, and we have already spent a substantial amount out of
pocket for my previous sessions - really need the money we have for
other things.....  Hate that!!

I am a pretty new member, and have only really posted once, to share
my birth story, but have kept checking in on the forum. Wanted to
welcome you as well sweetdragonflyblue!! I'm so sorry that you need
to be here. I do hope that you find what you need and are able to
receive a bit of support here.

I am approaching my son's first birthday. I'm not entirely sure if
I have separated him from his birth yet. In fact, I'm actually very
nervous about the next month or so (his bday is 4/12) because I'm
already feeling triggered. I'm not sure if it is b/c of the
upcoming birthday or something else.

I too have been struggling with the aftermath of my son's birth, and
my daughter's as well. She was born 4 years ago. In both cases,
the medical establishment created/facilitated life threatening,
traumatic situations.

However, following my daughter's birth, I was in such shock that I
just threw myself back into work at 4 weeks post partum and kept
overfunctioning, overachieving....when my son was born under very
similar circumstances to that of his sister's birth, the PTSD
symtpoms hit. For the last 10 months, I have been trying to work
through them.

I wish you all peace, healing, and relief from symptoms!

Thank you so much for your post and support!  Wow! I hate that you
know what this is like - wish you didn't have to go through all of the
pain and suffering!  I am greatful for the empathy, so thank you
again.  Have found that very few people can actually offer that.  Most
of my loved ones and friends are just dumbfounded, in disbelief, or
simply have no idea how to respond, so I have really only shared
details with the therapist I saw.


> Hi ttm,
>
> I'm sorry you've  had such a hard time.  I, too, suffered with the
2nd live birth due to the circumstances regarding the first.  To this
day I have amnesia regarding aspects of my daughter's birth; she will
be 25 in May.

>

I am a pretty new member, and have only really posted once, to share
my birth story, but have kept checking in on the forum. Wanted to
welcome you as well sweetdragonflyblue!! I'm so sorry that you need
to be here. I do hope that you find what you need and are able to
receive a bit of support here.

I am approaching my son's first birthday. I'm not entirely sure if
I have separated him from his birth yet. In fact, I'm actually very
nervous about the next month or so (his bday is 4/12) because I'm
already feeling triggered. I'm not sure if it is b/c of the
upcoming birthday or something else.

I too have been struggling with the aftermath of my son's birth, and
my daughter's as well. She was born 4 years ago. In both cases,
the medical establishment created/facilitated life threatening,
traumatic situations.

However, following my daughter's birth, I was in such shock that I
just threw myself back into work at 4 weeks post partum and kept
overfunctioning, overachieving....when my son was born under very
similar circumstances to that of his sister's birth, the PTSD
symtpoms hit. For the last 10 months, I have been trying to work
through them.

I wish you all peace, healing, and relief from symptoms!

I am a pretty new member, and have only really posted once, to share
my birth story, but have kept checking in on the forum.  Wanted to
welcome you as well sweetdragonflyblue!! I'm so sorry that you need
to be here.  I do hope that you find what you need and are able to
receive a bit of support here.

I am approaching my son's first birthday.  I'm not entirely sure if
I have separated him from his birth yet.  In fact, I'm actually very
nervous about the next month or so (his bday is 4/12) because I'm
already feeling triggered.  I'm not sure if it is b/c of the
upcoming birthday or something else.

I too have been struggling with the aftermath of my son's birth, and
my daughter's as well.  She was born 4 years ago.  In both cases,
the medical establishment created/facilitated life threatening,
traumatic situations.

However, following my daughter's birth, I was in such shock that I
just threw myself back into work at 4 weeks post partum and kept
overfunctioning, overachieving....when my son was born under very
similar circumstances to that of his sister's birth, the PTSD
symtpoms hit.  For the last 10 months, I have been trying to work
through them.

I wish you all peace, healing, and relief from symptoms!

Welcome sweetdragonflyblue,

~We'd love to hear your story!

My daughter Talia Rose was born by emergency c-sect in Orlando, FL at 35 weeks when we were headed to a family vacation. Then she was in the NICU for 5 weeks, while my sweet hubby and other kids went back home to the rocky mtns. I was alone and scared and also was hit with PPD.

Talia is 2 now, I just try to think of _her_ as seperate from her birth. Anyone else do that? I feel it took me over a year to function again.

How is everyone out there?

Let's hear what is going on in your lives!

~Dana Walsh

moderator of birthtraumasupportgroup

www.BeyondPostpartum.com

---

TV dinner still cooling?
Check out "Tonight's Picks" on Yahoo! TV.

Wanted to post just to let you all know how much I appreciate this
group!!  Thank you so much for the opportunity to be here and for
being such a supportive community!!  I hope you are all doing well and
had a Happy Thanksgiving, first few months of December!!!!  I know how
tough the holiday season can be, so my thoughts and well wishes are
with each of you.

I haven't posted in a while, as my 3D world has been pretty intense  -
mid terms and end of term in graduate school, keeping up with my 4
year old and 8 month old, working PT, dealing w/huge issues in
therapy, and trying to keep my house from falling apart around me
and/or harboring ecoli.

I tend to isolate a bit until I feel slightly more together and
composed/able to interact with the real world without falling apart.
Thus the reason for my lack of posts.  It seems as though it has been
rather quiet here recently anyway.....

Fortunately, things are much calmer now!  I'm experiencing a bit of a
reprieve from the craziness of the past month or so, for which I am
sooooooooo grateful!!!

I got a newsletter a couple of days ago from a professional
organization I belong to with a game in it that I'd like to share, if
you all are willing - you take two minutes and list all of the things
for which you are grateful.

I'll start...Maya Angelou's poetry and words, my two adorable
children, the time I am able to be at home with them, choosing to stay
alive and reach out for help when my brain was trying to convince me I
really wanted to die, my amazing/supportive husband, my therapist,
this group, my job, being able to go back to school, a recent
opportunity to make a career change that will allow me to help people
and give back to those that suffer because of trauma, my home, my
safety.  I'm out of time.

The newsletter was perfect timing for me, following my recent climb
out of severe depression and despair, to re-orient me to others and
the things I do have in my life that are good and sources of
strength.  And I am really so grateful to be getting to the other side
of this thing, since Christmas is only a few weeks away and can be
such a magical time with two children.

Sending warmth, peace, hugs, and healing to each of you!

Hello!
I am so glad you made it here...

A close friend of mine is going in for a 4th (unnecesary) c-section.
It's so sad. She did not find out about her options until a few months
ago. Now that she has had 3 c-sections, she is too afraid. poor thing.
I just hope they treat her ok.

how are you all doing?

~Dana

Hello all!

This is Dana, the new moderator.
I am so excited that we are doing a new group, to shut out spam.
I have been so blessed to have this group, and I am thrilled to see
it continue.

My story is that Talia Rose (now 20 months) was born by emergency c-
section in Florida, when we were headed on a family reunion
vacation. Talia's placenta was not sufficient to feed her, so date
wise she was 35 weeks, she was the size of 2 months early, 3 lb 7
oz.

Then after only 6 days, my hubby and my other(mostly home-birthed)
kids headed back to Colorado while I had to stay and pump and care
for the baby. I had to ask permission to hold her, to feed her. They
drove me crazy. They finally released her after long 5 weeks.

After a year of PPD, and tons of people not understanding me, I now
want to help other women somehow find a way to go on. It can be so
hard that the sun continues to go around the Earth after we are hurt
so badly. Surely it would give a little pause! Somehow life dares to
go
on.

While I am certainly not happy with the events that happened to me,
I am glad for the fruit it has brought into my life; Compassion and
understanding of other's hurts.

My heart is to give other women a safe, non judgmental place to
work through their thoughts and feelings.

Blessings and Peace to you, as you find your path through!
~Dana