I've now shared this story so many times. Typing it out on various social media posts each time, where I miss information or rush. I'm finally getting to a blog post so I can share the full story with you.
You have probably had this link shared with you because your child is going through something similar. So first I want to say- take a deep breath mumma. There is such an overload of information at times but take it step by step. Gather the information then go with your gut. Don't be scared of a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th opinion! So to our story... In September 2021 I finally caved and decided to check out homeopathics that I was seeing mentioned everywhere. I got a family kit and in a month or 2, saw them working but liked the convenience of combination remedies. They say what they are for, instead of looking it up and figuring it all out! I was browsing the online store when my son mentioned his tooth was sore. "Strong teeth mix!" So I added to my cart and called our dentist, again. We had been playing phone tag all year trying to do an annual family check up. With other kids, fifo work, Doula on call life and pandemic shut-downs, we hadn't been in 2 years. It was the first time my son complained but it was a good prompt to go. January 2022 I finally took my then 5 year old who had always had good teeth. The result was shocking. 1 needed to be removed. 3 needed fillings. Because of his age- that meant general anesthetic. We were referred to a pediatric dentist who said the same thing. But it came with the joyus information that, without private health insurance, I was looking at around 6k for the procedure, a 1 year wait once taking out private health or a 1 year wait on the public list (which ended up being 18months to be offered an initial consult- it would have been longer to have the work then be done). It was money I just didn't have, so on the wait list he went. I wanted to avoid GA for him but also knew I had to do something to avoid any more damage or suffering while waiting. We were told if it did get worse or infected we could go to children's hospital emergency but their response would only be to remove all 4 teeth. I started giving him more of the Strong teeth homeopathic mix and booked a homeopathic consult. While waiting for the appointment a friend/naturopath happened to share a post about a holistic dentist. I slide into her DMs and poured my heart out blubbering about these 2 dentists not feeling right, but I didn't know any other option. She told me the holistic dentist in Perth she sees so I booked my son for a 3rd opinion. The homeopath worked on gut health, overall nutrition and added a prescription Teeth Decay Mix that was in his water bottle every day for months. The dentist told us to work on diet including how often he ate, when and what. No sugar. Low grains. Ditch the fluoride in toothpaste that the other dentists had told us use more of. They blasted the area with ozone gas. She agreed- he was too young to sit for long but if our only option was to wait anyway, try everything and come back for check ups. We explored his jaw shape, tongue tie, breathing and so much more that I don't remember. Some of it incorporated, some of it not. The next appointment a couple of months later blew my mind (and the dentists as well). The recommendation now? The tooth that needed to be removed? We need to fill it. But it can stay. Those 3 needing fillings? They are fine to be left completely alone. I was in shock. But in a good way. The 6k estimate was down to a couple of hundred spent on the homeopath consult, remedies and the out of pocket dentist cost (which Medicare dental allowance covered a big chunk) We are now almost 2years later, and yes, fell off the wagon a lot. The diet side of things has been very hard to stick to. Mainly from school lunchbox requirements impacting what he eats. We are still better than where we started. He has regular check ups and the "worst tooth" has now died off, but is still in place. We are hoping it stays in so an artificial space holder won't need to be put in. This would be because it's so long until an adult molar would come in. He has had 1 minor filling done in chair (done at around 14months after the initial assessment). He just watched Netflix on my phone while the dentist worked around him without needing a needle or numbing needle. The dentist also recommended a paste called Blissful Energetics but with sensory difficulties at play as well, it's been purchased and unused. He has always been happy to eat meat and veg so I thought his diet was good but I look back at pictures of him and see dark eyes I hadn't noticed at the time. His sleep and behavior has improved too. I never though homeopathics would help teeth but it's made me a complete convert. I now go to homeopathics first and if they don't work will go to western medicines. However- that hasn't happened yet! Its been so comforting to have a dentist who has been on board with our views on health and who gave us so much information. I was able to feel like I was doing something to help- I am not the most patient person- but I also do believe the route set out by the previous dentists would have lead to pain and more issues- such as space for future teeth. If you want to try homeopathics for the first time my discount code is Hartley5 at www.eugeniekruger.com
0 Comments
My Experience:
In March 2023 I had 3 days away from my Breastfeeding toddler travelling from Perth to Melbourne. I was going to need to pump 3 times a day during this trip so took my manual pump and milk storage bags with me. I don't have great success with a pump and no longer pump regularly. The expected small amounts combined with the expected hassle of esky's, ice etc, I decided to donate the milk while there. Weeks prior to leaving, I posted on a Victorian donor page- I have donated through the WA equivalent many times. I found a lady willing to come in the small window I would have between a pump session and hotel check out. We were all set to go until this mum and babe ended up too sick to come. I did post in more pages but had no response so decided to fly the 300ml of milk back with us. An issue with the hotel room freezer had me freezing the bags flat in order to have them freeze at all. This is a usual freezing trick to have bags defrost faster so I was already nervous. We ran to Kmart to grab a lunchbox esky bag and got back to the hotel minutes before check out time. Flying Virgin airlines I googled their requirements and found milk must be in 100ml lots, up to 1L total- but no information on icebricks. However we did not have time to freeze a brick anyway. I asked hotel staff to have the milk in their freezer until we were getting in the taxi to the airport. They were great with this and had it bagged and tagged so no one would accidently take it. They did ask me to agree that they were not liable if anything happened to it since they do not usually store items in there freezer. Staff did come across very supportive and helpful though! After check out we had to stop for some handmade chocolates and were given a little bag to stop the chocolate melting. i ended up adding the milk inside this in the esky to hope it added protection. Upon arriving at the airport I was expecting to open the esky in security. I put the pump in the bag so it was a little more obvious that yes it was milk. But going through, there was a pause while the tray was looked at under the scanner, I waited to be pulled aside... then nothing. We went through without being asked to open anything. During the wait to board I checked the bag and felt the milk already defrosting. When we got on the plane we asked for ice from the drinks cart and filled the bag. I did ask staff at the gate if they would have anywhere on the plane it could be stored and was told yes to somewhere cold, no to anything as a freezer. On board though ice was the only offer. By the time we got off the flight the ice was dripping out the bag so a quick bathroom break to pour the water out and taxi home. In the end the milk was out of a freezer for about 6-7hours and had completely defrosted but was cool enough to be usable. Since my kids wont drink it in bottles that fast, I made a smoothie- of which it wasn't all drunk. If I did travel again my preference would be to donate locally, as I had originally planned. My second option would be to possibly donate when home to a baby that could drink the defrosted lot immediately. However most of the inconvenience of bring it home was not being organized to take the milk with us so had I planned to bring the milk home it may have been a better option. Upon arriving home another article I found said up to 2L can fly, if it is UNFROZEN and coolpacks are fine to fly. It is best to check with the airline direct before flying. My flying tips: Keep your pumping on your own 'local time' if possible Freeze the bags upright Minimize time out of freezer- this may mean taxi over public transport Use the smallest esky size Take an ice brick or ask flight attendants for ice if needed Place the ice in a ziplock bag Check with your own airline if they have a breastmilk policy or recommendations Facebook Donor Pages: Human Milk for Human Babies- (Your State) Eats on Feets The Australian Breastfeeding Project Local Lactation Consultants or Birth Workers When Arriving Home after separation from a BF baby: Child may want to cluster feed for supply and comfort Back to Breastfeeding basics- skin to skin, cuddles and kisses. Keep an eye on Mastitis symptoms that may come Breastmilk Policy: www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us/what-we-do/travelsecure/travellers-with-specific-needs#:~:text=You%20may%20only%20take%20expressed,20x20%20cm%20or%2015x25%20cm). What is it?
A Homebirth is usually defined as being attended by a qualified midwife. in Australia that means having been to university, are usually also a qualified nurse and have worked in a hospital setting for many years before attending homebirths. A Freebirth is the intention to give birth without any medically qualified professional. Some women choose to do this alone or just with their partner. Others with a Doula or Birthkeeper. A Doula is not medically trained and is there for the emotional support. All the decisions are then made by the mother and her responsibility. Is it legal? Yes. In Australia, women have the legal right to birth wherever they like and with whomever they choose, or don’t choose. There is NO legal requirement to have a medical professional in attendance. However laws in WA, SA and pending in QLD where fines may apply to anyone attending and misrepresenting themselves medically. Yes it is legal for a Doula to attend or your friend to attend but if they are to claim they can manage any medical emergency when that is not their job, fines may apply to them. This is why it is essential to know your Doulas role, and contracts include what we are able and unable to do. Doulas do not check babies heart rate or monitor bleeding etc. Why do women choose Freebirth? Statistically safer- while some small studies on freebirth are happening, there are no large studies on the safety on birth with no attendance. However, when looking at attended homebirth for low-risk women planning a homebirth vs their same counterparts planning a hospital birth- Homebirthing women have lower intervention rates, lower cases of haemorrhage, lower rates of epidurals or medical pain relief, lower caesarean rates, higher rates of breastfeeding, and NO CHANGE in the rates of still birth. Countries who have high homebirth rates also have a lower overall caesarean rate.“But you can’t have a caesarean at home so of course those number are low!” I hear you cry- these statistics are based on and include those women who transfer care to hospital both during pregnancy and labour for the caesarean but starts with the base line of planning to be at home. Those that do transfer from home to hospital are low and most commonly are non emergency situations- the most common being mum has requested pain relief or dehydration. In this case, the family can drive themselves into hospital. Lack of access- so when we look at these studies a lot of women will decided to go down the route of an attended homebirth with a midwife. In Perth we have a publicly funded homebirth program known as the CMP, or a private midwife can be hired. CMP is free but comes with restrictions including location. Some of these restrictions are NOT based on individual medical assessment or with low/ questionable supporting evidence. Women “risk out” sometimes at the very end of their pregnancy but would still qualify to birth with private midwife (that are then fully booked making transferring care unavailable). CMP staff have been removed from homebirth to attend hospital births(sometimes while the women is in labour after 9 months of planned homebirth care). The alternative is a private midwife who can attend “higher risk” homebirths like VBAC, but come at an out of pocket cost between $4-$6,000 after a small Medicare rebate of $1-2,000. Financial cost is another factor as many can’t afford this. Most GPs do not discuss these options with women and they are often booked out before women have exited their 1st trimester, which is usually the time women start to look at their birthing location options. While we are VERY lucky to have a publicly funded option, it is flawed and in need of more support. Trauma- around 1 in 3 women describe their birth experience as traumatic. A reported 60% of this is not from the physical experience but how they are treated or spoken to, including coercion into decisions or without proper information for informed consent. Many hospitals policy around birth isn’t backed by evidence or latest research. It takes an average of 17years from research to policy changes. Birth Trauma becomes a contributing factor in post partum depression and PTSD. Women are leaving birth experiences with the same mental health conditions as people in war zones. One of the highest reasons for maternal death in the 1st year postpartum is suicide. WA currently has the highest caesarean rate In Australia, sitting at just under 38%. World Health Organisation recommends a 15% rate. It is estimated under 5% of women in Australia are having a “physiological’ birth which is meaning no medical interference, yet a very large portion are wanting to birth this way. If ALL of this medical intervention was truly needed, we would have become extinct by now due to our lack of ability to reproduce. Studies show more often than not, these interventions truly aren’t required and are more reflective of our legal system/ fear of being sued, than our bodies. Restrictions and covid- lockdowns and restrictions have seen birth partners limited to 1 person. Cutting out family, friends, siblings, photographers and doulas. Dads/ partners have also been required to leave within hours of the birth. This has all been in place despite borders being open, football games taking place and other restrictions lifted. It has added to trauma rates. Women have also wanted to avoid being in the same building as sick people and exposing themselves to covid. The demand for homebirth in the past 2 years has more than doubled further reducing access. Having adequate support in labour not only eases the workload for struggling and understaffed midwives in a hospital setting but reduces intervention rates, yet the request to ease restrictions in the maternity system have been gaslit, ignored or buck passed by hospitals, health department and politicians. Previous fast labours or accidental unassisted births- Those with a history of accidental unassisted sometimes go on to plan an unassisted birth. Victoria once had a higher rate of babies born accidently at home/ on route (including in car and side of the road etc) than it had planned homebirths- 0.4% unplanned vs 0.3% of total births planned. Confidence in their birthing body- sometimes its more simple. They want to freebirth. That appeals to them. They trust their bodies to do what it is designed to do. There are no obstacles and it is choice number 1. Women have only birthed in hospitals for just over 100 years. The history of birthing shows this move to hospital was directed by wealth. Queens started to go to hospital or have doctors present for pain medication so those that could, wanted to follow the trend. Just like some people running out to purchase the latest product a celebrity is wearing. Study after study shows the less we interfere with a birthing body, the better the outcomes for the majority of women (in developed countries where health/ malnutrition isn’t a factor). Both Homebirth and Freebirth come with a “back up plan” for how to access medical care in a hospital or via ambulance. Even in a hospital setting, nothing is ever 100% safe. But we simply don’t see those stories being broadcast in the same way that homebirth is. Women who freebirth often explore their own views on death and negative outcomes and take responsibility for those outcomes. Freebirth and homebirth are not for everyone. Some people will never want to do this, and that is fine. Every family needs to make a choice that suits their emotional and physical needs the most. Weather that is a scheduled caesarean, birth centre or a freebirth. But pointing fingers, judgment and ignoring the gaps that currently face birthing women does not help anyone. Adding options and support will only benefit. If you can, I encourage you to show your support for all women by signing petitions or contacting your local politicians showing support for adding more birthing options. If you have come to this article simply to understand women’s choices, I say a big thank you for taking the time to understand someone else’s journey. What we all need in our vulnerable birthing times is a little understanding and less judgment on the road less travelled. Further Reading: https://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/homebirth-myths-about-homebirth-debunked/ https://www.homebirthaustralia.org/media.html |
Archives
October 2023
CategoriesAll Birth Options Birth Partners Birth Positions Birth Stories Building Your Birth Team Independent Midwives My Pregnancy |