Aloha,

 'Well, go visit an "old" cemetery and count the infant
>graves
>and then go to a
>"new" cemetery and count the infant graves.  Need I say more?'

I need to put my .02 in here too.  I don't have references to back me up
here, but I think most of those deaths occured after birth, not during
birth, due to many variables already mentioned.  As I recall, the U.S.
still has a very high infant mortality rate for a western, industrialized
and "civilized" country.  And don't we have all the modern medical
miracle birth interventions?  Again, I believe the mortality rate here is
after birth as well.

As for those interventions, yes, they do have their place.   I know I
probably sound like I am against all interventions----not true.  I am
against the routine use of these interventions when unnecessary.

Again, isn't the intervention the problem with the cord blood and when to
cut?  I doubt this was ever considered a problem in the past history of
humans.  Now, it is.  How did we survive if the cord was being cut too
late?  How did we survive without abm?  (Got a breastfeeding reference in
here! :D   Why milk the cord?  Shouldn't baby be on mom's abdomen anyway?


One last point.  Sorry, I have no references here to back me.  However, I
am almost certain that I read if the cord is not cut until after it stops
pulsing, the baby would get the rest of the iron stores needed to see her
through the first year.  None of my children were ever anemic-----my
first did not start solids until 11 months too.  No supplements either.

I was not flat on my back when my children were born and they were all
placed on my abdomen immediately.  No problems experienced from them
receiving too much blood.

I could go on, but I have probably said enough already. :D


Aloha,
Gloria Thai  Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawai'i  located 20 degrees North of the
Equator