Titicaca

Today I spoke to Rauno who was on his way to Lake Titicaca. He said that he thought there was kaka in the Titicaca Lake. And laughed. Then he was frustrated that he did not know what a horn was in Finnish. Finally he figured it out and explained that they honk the horn a lot here. One of the big cultural differences between the US and Bolivia. I think he's having a good time and will get some new perspective when he returns.

Local options to VBAC slimming

I rarely write on my blog, but I just felt compelled to do so now. The local options to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) are becoming slimmer and slimmer. More and more midwives are not agreeing to attend a home birth after cesarean (HBAC) because they do not have an HBAC consult sign off. This consult entails of the mom-to-be meeting with an obstetrician who consults with her about the risks she is taking in her decision. It is a formality the midwife needs to be able to attend the birth. Most women planning an HBAC are aware that they have fewer risks in VBACing than in an ERC (elective repeat cesarean). There are no local OBs who will do a sign off. But if women are willing to travel to get one (a possibility!!) and prove that there is a DEMAND for HBACs, I am hoping that the local midwives will begin to offer them. Hey, this is a capitalist society! Where there is demand, there is supply. Women, begin demanding HBACs and we will get them!

Is she posing here?


Rauno never got M&Ms at this age...


So much fun!

Visit from Sergei, Elizabeth and GG

Step-cousin Sergei, AKA Ziggy, his mom and Great-Grandmother came by for a visit. We can always visit GG in Orlando, but Ziggy and Lizzie will be a little farther in Putin-Land soon. The boys had so much fun and so did Ruu.

Ruusa got this nice shirt from Iita Tati.


Rauno said "shhhhh... I gave the baby a vaccine." OMG...


Ruusa in her sleeping bag.


Eelhard and the kids

ICAN's Response to ACOG and AABC Statements on VBAC and Homebirth

Redondo Beach, CA, February 7, 2008:
The International Cesarean Awareness Network (*www.ican-online.org*) would like to publicly condemn both the AABC (American Association of Birth Centers) and the ACOG (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) for their statements* this week that limit not only women's choices in birth but imply that birth is a fashion trend rather than a safety concern.

Since VBAC is the biological normal outcome of a pregnancy after cesarean, ICAN encourages women to get all of the facts about vaginal birth and elective repeat cesarean before making a choice. This decision should not include weighing the choices of your doctor's malpractice payments but only be a concern of the mother, her baby and their health and safety.

Since some mothers will make the choice to give birth outside of the hospital, we encourage the AABC to not cave into ACOG's demands that all women give birth in a hospital facility with a surgical specialist, but instead allow women to make their own choices about care providers, birth settings and risk factors. ICAN respects the intelligence of modern women and accepts that the amount of information available about VBAC and elective cesarean should serve as informed consent.

ICAN further encourages the governments of individual states to look closely at their cesarean rates (31.1% national cesarean rate as of 2006) and the informed consent laws that apply and help women to reach a standard of care that lowers the risks of major surgery and the risks of elective or coerced cesarean without medical indication. Women and children should not bear the brunt of malpractice risks being conveyed into physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health risks in order to protect their physicians.


* AABC statement: *
http://www.birthcenters.org/files/file.php?id=2&file=file&file_type=file_type
*ACOG statement: *
http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr02-06-08-2.cfm
*Statement by Royal College of OB/GYNs*
http://www.rcog.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=2023

Thievery in SW Gainesville

Earlier this week, someone opened my car door, sat down in front of the steering wheel, unplugged my car radio and took off with it. It happened at night with us sleeping. I put in a police report, had my car fingerprinted, and check out the closest pawn shops for it. And I gave up.

Yesterday Rauno was on a ride in his power wheels near the burned trailer down the road with his dad, and low and behold, there they found my car radio. The dirty thief couldn’t do anything with it, since it had the VIN of my Volvo and the fool didn’t have the code for it to even use it.

This morning the sheriff came to fingerprint the radio. Let’s see if we find the thief!

Moral of the story: I’ve been very paranoid lately about this, thinking someone may try to come in the unit if the doors are unlocked. But here’s the thing, this stuff can happen anywhere. I thought it was unlikely to happen here; even my neighbors told me they always leave their car doors unlocked. I can be cautious by making sure to lock up at night, but I can’t become paranoid. I don’t want the fear to consume my life. People are always so afraid of everything. While it sucked not to have a radio, it would suck more to always be on guard.