In the early to mid 1800s poor women in Austria gave birth at the Vienna General Hospital. Women shared this tip with each other, “try to be in the midwife ward”. Doctors were also caring for women in labor. Women knew that more women were dying in the wards managed by doctors. They didn’t know why; it was an observation.
Dr. Semmelweis made a similar observation and followed through with a recommendation, In 1847 Dr. Semmelweis discovered that hand washing in the hospital setting dramatically reduced the incidence of puerperal fever. At the time doctors would gog from patient to patient—sometimes from autopsy to patient without washing their hands. Dr. Semmelweis tried to persuade his colleagues to institute a hand washing practice. He was ridiculed. A number of years went by before Pasteur and Lister identified bacteria as the cause of infection, explaining the importance of hand washing. Many women died because doctors refused togive credence to Dr. Semmelweis’ observations.*
For years midwives have disagreed with the practice of routine episiotomy (making an incision in the pelvic floor to enlarge the vaginal opening). In 2006 the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists changed its practice guidelines. “The best available data do not support the liberal or routine use of episiotomy. Nonetheless, there is a place for episiotomy for maternal or fetal indications such as avoiding severe maternal lacerations or facilitating or expediting difficult deliveries.”
Another practice disputed by midwives has been the immediate clamping of the umbilical cord. One midwife, Amanda Burleigh, pursued this issue. Despite backlash, criticism and disapproval from countless colleagues, Burleigh pushed foward on her mission. Finally, her work has paid off. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has officially changed the guidelines for cutting umbilical cords to now state that doctors and midwives should not routinely cut the cord “earlier than one minute from the birth of the baby.” It also suggests that the wait last anywhere from one to five minutes, or longer per the mother’s request. Read more here.
For many years women in menopause were treated with hormone replacement therapy. Then in 2010 the results of a 15 year study, the Women’s Health Initiative, were released. Immediately the liberal use of hormone therapy changed.
Currently we have mothers that have observed a change in the health status of their children following certain vaccinations. An immunologist refers to a Canadian study: It is often stated that vaccination rarely leads to serious adverse events. Unfortunately, this statement is not supported by science. A recent study done in Ontario, Canada, established that vaccination actually leads to an emergency room visit for 1 in 168 children following their 12-month vaccination appointment and for 1 in 730 children following their 18-month vaccination appointment. To read this doctor’s open letter to legislators, click here.
The vaccine industry is able to sell their products without risk of lawsuit, without need for marketing. A majority of people that sit on vaccine boards have ties to the money. Is corruption a factor in the push for more and more vaccines?
It is time to take a hard look at the vaccines (which have evolved considerably since the polio vaccine was introduced in 1955). If vaccines are diminishing the baseline health of children, we need to re-evaluate the vaccine schedule and recommendations.
It makes no sense to proceed with vaccine mandates before we listen carefully to the observations and concerns of mothers. We need research that is directed by a group separate from the pharmaceuticals and the trail of money. We owe it to moms and their children.
Illustration by Alice B. Stephens (1858 – 1932)
*Resource: The Doctor’s Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis by Sherwin Nuland.
Linking with A Little R and R, Tuesdays with a Twist and Titus 2sday
