My name is Kathy Petersen, happily married and mother of two boys. I was born and raised right here in North Mississippi, and have lived here all of my life except for the first few years of my marriage when I lived in Chicago which is where my husband is from (ask me for my recipe for Chicago-style pizza).
My journey into the world of pregnancy, labor, and birth began with my own first pregnancy. I had read a few pregnancy books when my sister or a friend was pregnant when I was in my late teens, but they didn’t really have much impact on me at the time. Through the years, however, the message of empowered birth and natural birth must have sunk in deeper, because when I found out that I was pregnant, I instantly assumed I would have a home birth with a midwife. At the time in Chicago, there were several midwives (and even one OB practice) who offered home birth, and I chose the midwife whose practice was closest to my home. During pregnancy, I read voraciously, as I tried to wrap my brain around this whole thing about growing and birthing a child. I became addicted to those birth stories on cable, and checked out just about every book in the library. But that was nothing to what would come afterwards.
My first birth was a planned water-birth at home, and immediately after the birth, I felt more empowered and exhilarated than I have ever felt before. That feeling gave me a desire to share my experience, and that feeling of empowerment, with others. So, I started the certification process to become a doula through DONA, but before I could take the workshop, we moved back to Mississippi, and all the workshops were too far away. However, my interest in all things pregnancy and birth has not waned. I’ve become active in several email groups, including the independent childbirth educators Yahoo group, and am continually learning and growing from the shared experiences of these fabulous groups of women.
independentchildbirth.wordpress.com
kathy_petersen_283 at yahoo dot com
Thank you so much for visiting my site and leaving your comment. I really appreciate it. I am enjoying your blog! Many Blessings, K
I just wanted to thank you for your advocacy and to invite you to ‘pick up’ your award from my blog.
I wanted to invite you to ‘pick up’ your award at my blog.
)
http://enjoybirth.wordpress.com/2008/01/27/award/
I gave you one too.
Hi, saw your post on mamasource and wanted to give a shout out. It’s good to see other naturally minded folks spreading the good news about birth.
Alison Murphy
Memphis TN
congratulations on your decision to finally give up at that other place. I was impressed with your patience, but in the end it’s just not worth it. Best wishes to you.
i would love to post a link to your blog on mine. ) i will be back!
Much love to you
I hadn’t thought much about pregnancy lately as my children (all born naturally and breast fed) are aged 15-27. I did however have a conversation with a young woman at work recently that bothered me: she’s eight month pregnant and afraid. I tried to explain what a wonderful experience childbirth can be, but I knew she wasn’t listening. Her mind was made up. I hope I’m wrong in predicting it’s going to be a long, hard labor for her. And I’m glad to see a blog where young women like her might find a better approach before their minds are set.
Kathy,
It was great to chance upon your blog. I too run a pregnancy and wellness program in Hyderabad, India, that is very similar to what you teach. I have a doctorate in Physical Therapy, with 14 years experience in pediatric and geriatric clinical settings. I too believe wholeheartedly in the benefits of natural childbirth and empowering mothers-to-be and their families with the information and choice to make appropriate childbirth decisions for themselves.
We lived in NH for about 15 years before we moved back to our native India in 2003.
Could I link my blog to your?
regards
Dr. Vijaya Krishnan
Hi Kathy,
I just tried to post a comment on your entry of today about underweight babies, but it seems to not be posting. Please advise me on what to do about that.
Joy
pregnancydiet@mindspring.com
Apparently, including links in the “comments”, makes it go to the spam folder. I usually check the spam folder eventually, so would have found it, but you did the right thing by commenting here, because that popped up in my comments and email. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Kathy – I’m JUST getting to see the comment you left on my blog about DES and its effect on an unborn fetus. Believe it or not, in my early days when I was first diagnosed with a strict bicornuate uterus, I asked my mother the question as to whether or not she had taken anything with DES in it when she was pregnant with me. She seemed to recall a “bleeding incident” but swore she didn’t take anything for it. Since DES was prescribed regularly for threatened miscarriages, I am not certain I believe her memory of it. But she doesn’t remember, and we can’t be sure.
What I do know is that ultimately I was diagnosed with a very rare combination of bicornuate and septate uterus, which, more than likely, was the cause of all our IVF failures. I’m thankful that the septum was resectioned through surgery, and that I was able to carry my son to term, though I never really breathed easily until he was here. And he was on the smaller side and breech, which required a C-section – again as a result of my uterus anomoly.
I don’t know what to do with the information, other than keep waiting it out, but I definitely appreciate the link you posted – very much so.
Hi,
I just noticed that our blog, insidevaccines, is included in your blog roll. Thanks so much!
MV
i have attempted to abort twice, the first time failed because the fetus was still in the fallopian tubes and it was too early, the second time my partner tried to insert the cytotec pill in my cervix but i guess he put it in the wrong place. now i want to keep the baby but im worried about the harm those failed attempts might have caused to the baby. is it possible that the baby might have been harmed even though the pill didnt actually get to the cervix?
This subject has not been well studied — obviously, due to the nature of the question, it would be unethical to give pregnant women Cytotec for the purpose of determining if the babies had birth defects from it, and the official information on the package insert talks mostly about the abortifacient qualities of the pill. They mentioned some studies in rats which talked about it inducing an abortion and (at very high doses) possibly impairing fertility. Also in the package insert it said that there have been reports of babies with deformities born after a failed Cytotec abortion, but that this question hadn’t been studied. There are babies born with deformities when there has been no attempt at abortion, so it is difficult if not impossible to say that such-and-such deformity was caused by administration of Cytotec.
I’ve seen advertisements and “protocols” listed on the internet for medication abortion — usually it’s “the abortion pill” RU-486 (Mifeprex, I think is the trade name for it) followed by 800 mcg (4 pills of the 200mcg strength or 8 pills of the 100mcg strength) of Cytotec. It may be that doses this high may be more likely to cause problems, and a single pill or even two may cause no problems.
This is something to discuss more fully with your pharmacist (since s/he will likely have more information, or be able to access it more quickly, as well as be able to understand the clinical terms that some of these things are written in) as well as with a doctor. Most likely, there has been no harm to the baby. Most of the warnings of Cytotec are because it may induce an abortion. Of the *potential* (and I stress that it is only possible, not probable) birth defects *possibly* associated with Cytotec use in pregnancy, they would probably be able to be seen by ultrasound, especially further along in pregnancy. Make an appointment with an OB and discuss this question, because s/he will probably know more about it than I do, and can alleviate your fears.
My “gut reaction” is that since it didn’t cause an abortion, not enough of it got into your system to harm the baby, especially since the first dose was probably done before the baby was implanted in your uterus and therefore not getting anything from your blood supply.
I’m glad you’ve made the decision to keep your baby. Parenthood is a challenge but so rewarding!
I did have (DES) shots in 1968 do I have any legal rights towards any compensation or any other physical or mental rights.
You’d have to contact a lawyer — I’ve not pursued that route. I know that some people have successfully sued, but I’m sure it depends on the situation — is the company that made the DES you were given still in business? do you have records it was given to you? were you and/or your child harmed by it? If you contact Aaron Levine’s office (who is the lawyer recommended by DES Action), they will be able to give you more information. -Kathy
Hi Kathy,
I noticed you live in Northern MS. I live on the gulf coast of MS but am originally from NY. We have lived in MS for 6 months. I am 22 weeks pregnant and have been so discouraged by the lack of alternative prenatal and birthing options down here. I have found one midwife and only one doula. When I asked my doctor if I was going to be forced to lay in the hospital bed for the duration of my labor she looked at me like I had 2 heads! Her response; “that is the traditional way”.
FYI there is going to be a woman coming to teach Doula cert for 3 days in March in Ocean Springs, You can find the info on the DONA website.
Nicole,
I grew up in Ocean Springs, lived in Oxford for 5.5 years, and moved to southwestern Michigan 2 years ago. My mom is a nurse with 23 years of experience who recently quit her job as an L&D nurse at OS Hospital because she was so appalled by the backwards and non-evidence-based practices there.
I hope that you were able to achieve a safe, fulfilling birth experience despite the lack of holistic birth resources. For anyone reading this, remember, they can’t FORCE you to do anything! You are the customer and the doctor is your consultant. You always have a choice!
Hey, thanks for being pro-life and being pro natural childbirth. AND for linking to ICAN.
I have a question—you said to ask if we had one. I have a friend who is 39 going for amnio to rule out down’s syndrome. What is the FALSE POSITIVE rate of an amnio??? I can’t find it anywhere. As in, they tell her that her baby has down’s, but maybe it doesn’t????
thanks, Ruthie
Ruthie,
You’re welcome!
The accuracy of amniocentesis is 99% or more — it is highly accurate, like genetic testing done to determine if a certain man fathered a certain child. Of course, for the babies in the 1% or less who were aborted due to Down’s Syndrome that they didn’t have, that’s cold comfort (and that assumes that tests are done on the fetus post-abortion to confirm the diagnosis). Also, the rate of miscarriage from amnio is about 1/200 (depending on numerous factors, including how skilled the practitioner is).
In addition to knowing the risks of amnio, you can share with her positive information about Down’s Syndrome — I’ve got numerous links in posts (you can use the search box at the top of the page to look for “Down Syndrome”), as well as links on the side dealing with “difficult prenatal diagnosis”. Often many people are only told the negative aspects of the diagnosis (higher potential for heart defects, mental retardation, other health problems) without being told of the many positives of having a child who happens to have Down Syndrome. Here are a few links (just in case I haven’t included them before) to get you started out: TheMichaelFund, which is a pro-life alternative to the March of Dimes, and Dr. Jerome Lejeune who discovered the genetic reason behind Downs. Some people believe that a lot of the things associated with Down Syndrome have to do with diet and nutrition, and that a special diet can help most of these children. I found an old post on one of my email lists about this — the writer said that a friend’s neighbor “reversed her son’s Downs” and even the facial features changed with diet. I’ve emailed her for more information, and will forward it on to you if/when I get it.
Hope this helps!
Kathy Peterson,
If you would be willing to share your email with me, I would love to contact you directly. I am Rose St. John and I noted that you referenced my book, Fathers at Birth. Thanks!
You cover many great topics on your blog!
Rose
Hello!
My name is Leslie Ott & I am a certified lactation educator, pursuing my ongoing education and hours to become an IBCLC. I currently provide breastfeeding education to women in my community but I am actively pursing a different venture to begin a non profit organization to provide breastfeeding education, resources, lactation consultant services & support, breast pumps and supplies at little or no cost for low income & disadvantaged mothers. Our goal is to raise & extend the incidence of breastfeeding in the socioeconomic group with the lowest rates by providing everything to ensure breastfeeding success.
I have submitted my idea to the popular website http://www.ideablob.com who gives away $10,000 to the idea with the most votes that month.
You can view my idea at http://ideablob.com/ideas/5227-Human-Milk-for-Human-Babies
Would your blog allow the promotion of my idea to solicit as many votes as possible??
Any promotion would be appreciated!!
Thank You,
Leslie Ott
I just found your website… thank you! I would love to talk with you. I am just starting up my own little childbirth education program and your website is full of encouragement and excellent posts!
Lynn
Hello Kathy! I normally post to you under a different, anonymous name however I have started a blog for our midwifery practice…so will be using this name from now on. Keep up the good work!
Thanks!
No problem — I looked in my comments, and found the one you had done and deleted it.
Kathy WomanToWomanCBE.wordpress.com katsyfga.wordpress.com
It is a wonderful site. I wish I had come across it 22 years ago when I had my first baby. I did not have a computer then. But I did read a lot on pregnancy. And it was my reading that helped me save my baby. I saw the danger symptoms and was rushed to hospital in the middle of the night. However, the nurse on duty, who checked me told me to go home and come back after a few hours.
But the spotting was of dark brown colour and I knew something was seriously wrong. I stayed put and insisted that the doctor check me. When the doctor arrived I was rushed for an emergency operation. My baby survived the meconium that she had passed with no harm to her. i shudder to think what would have happened if I had listened to the nurse.
During my pregnancy, I experimented a lot in communicating with the fetus. And I believe a to-be mother can build a wonderful bond with the yet-to-be born baby. Towards the later part of my pregnancy, I could get the fetus to move by just asking it to do so. We would shake hands, and it would kick whenever I asked it to do so! It was absolutely amazing. During my second pregnancy, I did not have all that time and quiet to build the bond with the fetus. You need to be absolutely relaxed and in a meditative state to be able to reach out to the fetus.
My baby started speaking in full sentences when she was a year and a half. As a child she had exceptional vocabulory and was very good at expressing herself. All her teachers would comment on it….
Gosh! I am sharing all this after years. You site took me back to the experiences I had …
What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing!
Hi there
you may be interested in my work of over 12 years
website
http://www.bellydanceforbirth.com
and my award winning world first book Dance Of The Womb
and follow on DVD released last week and made last year while I was 46 yrs of age and pregnant with no. 3
also includes a bellydancebirth exercise component and 50m film of my home birth
xxxx