Tori's Blog
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Abby Epstein’s Labor
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Abby Epstein, Ricki Lake’s co-producer in the film, The Business of Being Born, who was also pregnant, had planned for a homebirth with New York midwife, Cara Muhlhahn. Ms. Epstein was being followed closely by a physician during her pregnancy due to her baby being seriously growth restricted (IUGR). IUGR means that the baby has stopped growing appropriately and can be caused by a number of factors, most commonly a problem with the placenta or a medical condition that has... -
Yes, I Am Picking On Ricki Lake. A Little Background.
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
I might be just about done with this but seeing Ricki Lake on a recent talk show and still hearing women elevate her to near sainthood for “returning us to homebirth” has just steamed me once again. I really don’t have anything personal against Ms. Lake. I am just so very bothered by celebrities; – actresses, models, etc. taking personal stances on whatever their favorite subject is and using their ability to reach a mass audience to promote their cause.... -
4:00 a.m. Rambling
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010It has been raining. Alot. Seems we are fully in the throes of winter here in Northern California. I have about 4 blogs posts ready to go, with some general polishing, but at 4am what I am really working on is trying to decide if I keep Alexander (and myself) home today.
He has a cold. I think it might be a bad one but since I am not sure I actually own a thermometer, I do not believe he has...
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Back To The Homebirth Discussion
Sunday, January 24th, 2010After last week’s blog I received quite a few emails and a post here responding to the article I discussed about Tracey Hermanstorfer in Colorado who nearly lost her life during childbirth. A few of them responded by saying that her respiratory and cardiac arrest were actually the “result” of her being in the hospital. Furthermore, as you can see by the comment here, that it was, in fact, caused by her having had an epidural. I strongly urge you to...
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Martin Luther King and Haitian Relief
Monday, January 18th, 2010
Today is a day honoring Martin Luther King. Alexander and I attend a church in San Francisco called Glide Memorial which is so much more than a church. It is a place of honoring God not only through completely awesome music and prayer but also through actually doing work for people in the community. Mostly the underserved and the disenfranchised. Alexander and I serve food for the some 5000 people who come for meals not only on the holidays but 3 times... -
A Miracle Birth
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
Childbirth is an amazing time in a woman’s life – in a family’s life. And, there is no question that childbirth in America is far from perfect. We have a disturbing acceptance of the “medicalization” of birth, far too many interventions and an exorbitantly high cesarean section rate. There is no argument that much can be improved in our system. However, we cannot ever lose sight of what really is truly important. It is certainly not just the process or the... -
50 Useful Pregnancy iPhone Applications
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
I was contacted by these folks a couple of months ago and since I love iPhone apps I thought I would pass these along to you. I haven’t reviewed all 50 but some of them are really great. Enjoy!
Conception
Here is a list of applications that will allow you to follow your body’s cycle and help you know when it’s the right time to conceive.
1. Fertility Friend.com’s Menstrual CalendarThis free iPhone app is a light version of the calendar available at...
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Happy 2010
Saturday, January 2nd, 2010
I wish all of you a very happy and peaceful new year. 2009 was quite a year of “upheaval” for so many people. It certainly was for me. In this next year, I seek to be less hurried, less worried and more genuinely at peace with my personal, as well as, the expanded world around me.I wish you a year of discovering what it is that feeds you and creates balance and peace in your own life.
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Do I Really Need To Teach My Toddler To Read?
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009I recently came across a blog by a group of fathers who refer to themselves as science-based skeptics. This particular post sharply criticized the very popular practice of teaching a baby sign language. It was an interesting opinion and one that resonated with me.
Having a 9 year old, very active boy, I have learned how such “early learning” practices have set up new and unrealistic standards in school, especially in the early years. Alexander went to a “play-based” preschool for two years....
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Alexander’s 9th Birthday
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
Saturday was Alexander’s 9th birthday. He was born on December 19, 2000 at 9:40pm, weighing in at 6 lbs. 12 oz and 19 ¼ inches long. He had a full head of dark blondish hair with these amazing little silver tips, as though it were frosted.He was due on Christmas Eve, and on the 19th I was shopping for Christmas lights in our local drug store. I had, only a minute before, run into someone I hadn’t seen in a really long...
