Understanding interracial marriages through science and new eyes.

In understanding mixed marriages, we need a base for marriage. What does it look like and what is the normal rate for marriage in both of the base races, the blacks and the whites. (Asians are complicated, so I won't get into them or Hispanics here.)

There are strong patterns showing that marriage is not the norm in Black culture. . .“In 2007, just 33% of black women ages 30-44 were married. . .Among black men in this age range, just 44 percent were married in 2002.”

While marriage is, and always has been the norm for whites.

 "In 2007, 67 percent of White women and 63 percent of White men in the 30-44 age group were married."

There are many good reasons for this racial disparity, many of which the white man has brought on by demanding the blacks adapt to a white man's world. 

The traditional "weddings" for blacks were more about buying woman as cattle with a dowry, or also called "bride price". The girls fathers could even ask gifts of the males if they didn't treat the daughters right. This gave accountability, and consequences for poor "husbandry" practices with the bride, as well as kept family ties it is claimed. Bride price is a transaction that gives societal cover for the couple to now live together, have children, and save for the big white (legal) wedding, if they are in a modern part of Africa. Having a legal, white style wedding a sign of high status in Africa.

Polygamy, and living in separate huts with numerous families or having a harem of wives/concubines to protect was very entrenched in African culture, and has been done by all primates for millions and millions of years. "In traditional African society, men guarded the home and the cattle, or went to war. The women worked, caring for the house, the crops, the children. So used were the women to work that a polygamous situation would at times be provoked by the first wife's asking her husband to take a second wife who could be a help to her in her work." It was not a case of woman being abused so much, as the abuse was pretty mutual. . .

Rape too was an advantage in Africa, just as it is in monkey tribes. It goes unpunished too I have heard in most of Africa. I watched a documentary on the evolution of intelligence and they claimed that the smaller, skinny low ranking monkey who would never get a chance to mate with the higher ranking females (as long as the top ranking males were around) were the most smart. They would wait until the high ranking females went hunting, and ambush and rape them, thus getting a better offspring then they would otherwise. That is smart in nature they said. . .thus the whole purpose of the males has evolved to be to "protect" the females, by keeping them to themselves. As the men in Africa even still only live to fight and mate, like in nearly all male species, the will to work, learn or nurture is not natural for them.

The main if not only purpose for an African marriage is children, which are looked at as an asset, as they will help the family hunt or gather. There is safety in numbers, so a man who has many wives, and many children, has a greater chance of survival, and being a leader. The more wives then, the greater a man you are in your tribe. A marriage without children often ends up divorced from. Children are the sign of legitimacy.
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This is not to say that black men just have sex to procreate. . .as seen in documentaries like BBC's Human planet, many African societies have special fertility days where men compete to just have free sex with as many woman as they can over a weeks time. Based on their stamina in dancing for hours, woman chose who they will allow to sleep with them. If they guys are "lucky" they will get a different girl every night for a week. The woman are often married, as well the men are often married, but that once a year festival is a sexual free for all. Is it any wonder that STD's and AIDS, as well as a new epidemic called ebola is rampant there!? Even with free birth control and protection from humanitarian groups, blacks around the world have the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases. There is no such thing as "the sanctity of marriage" in African traditions. Women in all nature drive evolution, and men take what they can get. . .sorry men but it is true.

So when the black traditions came to the Christian white culture in America, there was a huge clash. Whites values of human dignity, monogamy, free choice, love and responsibility in reproduction condemned the African ways. 

The black males were judged not as monkeys just out of Africa would be, but as whites. Consequently they seemed violent, lazy, sexist, stupid, "deadbeat Dads", freeloaders, and sexually crazed with a tendency to rape. Having no ability to get food from the woman hunter gatherers, they were expected to diligently work and support a family for the first time. They had never evolved to sit still or think, so their schooling skills lacking they were deemed to have a low IQ and no potential. The average IQ being much lower then the whites; In Africa the average is 70, the cut off for whites mental retardation. . .and even lower!

Consequently, even many mixed blacks find it hard to compete for jobs. (Something I discuss more here.)

Black woman being the birthers as well as the food providers lived with numerous other woman in Africa that helped them. In America working as slaves they were given food as well. This allowed both the mother and now father to provide for their families, similarly like with hunting and gathering. When freed from slavery though, the strong black women were expected not only to birth and breastfeed, but to go get jobs to support the children of the numerous men who had claimed them for baby machines. . .and were unable to support even themselves often.

Finding they could not work in cultured society with a baby on the back, or breastfeeding (generally topless), with polygamy being unacceptable, they had to have something to help support them when they had a baby, so they either went back to their family (4 times as many blacks then whites to this day live with grandparents, according to the 2003 census), or ended up supported by the government. This is because they can no longer live off the land and support their families hunting and gathering as they did and still do in Atrica. 

 Black men and woman are out of their habitat, and are ill-suited for married life in the white way, because they often can't even support themselves, much less the babies that they feel are so important to marriage. This could be why according to a recent Yale study, 42 percent of African-American women have yet to be married, compared to only 23 percent of white women. . . . Yet they are still having lots of babies out of wedlock, 73% of black babies are born to single mothers. Should they be having babies at all out of their natural habitat, and consequently often as dependents on the government. . .? 

This practical and ethical question is apparently something they are considering themselves as they abort on average 40% of their babies. Although whites outnumber blacks in Mississippi by nearly 2-to-1, 71.67% of the babies aborted are black, while 26.6% are white. Clearly abortion is a "black genocide", but it is self induced and out of necessity! Check out my past posts to get you thinking on that subject more. (Here and here.)

The more educated, middle class married Black women are also choosing not to have as many kids. "The last marital birth rates calculated by the National Center for Health Statistics were for 2002. In 2002, the black marital birth rate was 64.9 births for every 1,000 married black women. The white marital birth rate was 88.2 for every 1,000 married white women. The black marital birth rate was 23.3 births less than the white rate. In the past, the black marital birth rate was higher than the white rate." Source

That does not make up for the overall rate though, which is higher then whites, while lower then Hispanics. The good news is, we are all being more conscious of overpopulation, likely because of the bad economy. . . the bad news is, the poorest and least educated are having the most kids. . .

In order to support these babies, the black woman, looking around like the wise monkeys wanting to survive and evolve, adapted by intermixing with the high ranking whites. This is natures eugenics. "Eugenic" means mating that promotes offspring who are more fit. ("Dysgenic" means mating that produces less fit offspring.) Humans tend to naturally engage in eugenic practices when they try to find a marital partner who is their equal or better. This is evolution and when we don't do it, we have the death of civilizations. . .
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Some smart blacks have actually written about how black woman should outsource to basically evolve. . .causing much controversy in the black and white community. ABC news had a segment on this and in their studies they questioned if successful black woman were waiting for men that mostly don't exist, (ones not in jail, that can support them, etc.) and committing "a black genocide" in their waiting? Because of unrealistic expectations (thanks to our white media) of black men acting counter to their evolution, 70% of professional black woman are single. . .

 The "desperate times call for desperate measures", and the black community is seriously outsourcing for mates. While few actually end up married, here are some stats on mixed marriages of the blacks and whites:

According to a an estimated 1.3 percent of Black males and 0.9 percent of African-American females married outside their race in 1960 when it was just getting legalized in most states. By 2008 however, 22% of Black males married a non-Black and 8.9% of African-American women married outside their race. Compared to 2.1% of married White women and 2.3% of married White men who had a non-White spouse.Source        This is a significant difference you might note. 

Due to blacks being only 12-13% or so of the country though, and highest in the South, this may not seem like much, especially seeing how in my state of Virginia, only 2.8% of all marriages are between a black person and a white person, and that's the highest in the nation. So interracial marriage between blacks and whites is still relatively rare. 

Who are blacks marrying when they do marry outside their race? Look below.

It seems of the 22% of black men, and 8.9% of black woman outsourcing for marriage, whites are equally popular with the sexes, as are the other races. Interesting huh? As you might guess by all those interracial marriages happening, they are pretty happy with mixing. Don't take my word for it though!

A Pew Research Center survey (2007), found that 97% of African Americans believe that interracial dating is acceptable. “Marry light – improve the race,” is a black aphorism. Not all blacks feel this way though, some rare educated blacks see this trend of black men going for the light skin, and fight it with black supremacy. Check out this meme from a black site.

According to the low rates of interracial marriage with the whites though, it seem the whites are still pretty much all for segregating from the blacks, as you can see below in the chart. That isn't as true for the mixed races though (who have European in them, or Neanderthal and Denisovan if you go back further. . .).

White men actually prefer Asians when dating out. 

White women prefer Latino men when dating out. 

Asian men prefer Asian Women. 

Asian women prefer white men.

I find these stats interesting when I think of the evolution of the monkeys. . .those males from lower ranking status always try for higher ranking females, while the compassionate or weaker and gullible females are more willing (or are forced) to marry down in the pecking order.

 It would seem that, like the scientists suggest, we are all like the smart monkey who tries for the prize or trophy bride. 

Who decides who's above who or what is valued in the pecking order though? If it were like the monkeys, we would select for the biggest and strongest. . . the strongest people are the blacks, and they should be on top, but we humans from the time of the Neanderthals have apparently started to select for more then just brute strength. . .we seem to be selecting out the smartest. 

Asians have the highest IQ, and wage, and are preferred by anyone under them in those areas. (Note, this should prove to all those who are trying to call me racist, that I have no bias here, as I am not Asian.) With whites IQ and wage next, Latinos IQ and wage next, and blacks all over the world sadly last in everything. 

It is interesting that IQ is equated with wage, and both being high seem to make a race more attractive. Dating sites show this as well.

No doubt this attractiveness to Asians by the white majority in America helps to make acceptance of interracial marriages more strong in general. I think I will save those stats on acceptance of interracial marriages for the next post called: Thoughts on interracial marriage, who does it, and why. 

Can an Atheist believe in eternal life for the body or spirit? You bet!

 According to research on cells, even from a long time ago, some cells renew themselves indefinitely!

This was shown in experiments with cells from rabbits being isolated and a nutrient solution added and changed everyday for many years. Only when the solution was not changed were these cells aging from taking in their own wastes. With a very short time of this toxification, the cells died.

Whether the cells could have died that quickly from lack of food, versus the toxification is yet to be confirmed, but the hypothesis of the scientists running the experiment was that it was overloading the cells with their own waste that killed them. So their belief was that not helping the human body detox of what we put in our bodies and because of what is in our environment, that may be what's killing us. (Or we would possibly be eternal!)

As a matter of fact only one woman's cells have been the standard for testing for a long time. The cells have self replicated without dying so many times over, that if put together, it is estimated that they would weigh about 50 million metric tons, which is about as much as 100 Empire State Buildings! They called her "the woman with immortal cells". Sadly, they were apparently not detoxing properly in her body (like they were in the test tubes that were changed daily) as she died young of cancer.
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So, you are basically being a martyr to your choices and circumstances being in the body and time you are in, whether you like it or not. What are these choices and circumstances you might ask? I'm sure I don't know them all, but I have discussed some both obvious toxins we need to detox from (like junk food, pesticides and herbicides or radiation) and not so obvious ones. (Like fluoride, vaccinations, whole grains that are not processed, dyes in food, many oils, chemicals in our body products, furniture and even clothes!)

Come with my imagination though to a time when all they had was good food and a clean environment. What killed those people? Or did they live long lives? Strangely, we tend to associate the past with shorter lives, not longer. . .why would that be? There could be a few explanations for that: they were all dying in wars, famines or natural disasters.

What about before religion, which spurned most of the wars? (I believe there was such a time.) That would leave mostly only natural things to kill them off. . . So when was there no war? Quote:
"What is interesting about Ancient Egypt is the fact that it's time line ran between 3150 BC an 31 BC but the Ancient Egyptian wars did not occur until half way through their existence."

"While it is known that the early Ancient Egyptians did send out raiding parties to nearby countries for the looting of precious metals, animals and people to keep as slaves.[or was it a tribute paid to them as gods over them?] These did not turn into full blown wars."

This lack of equality is I believe because the ancient Pharaohs/gods were the presumed masters. The Egyptian pharaohs/gods I believe were actually the half children of the Ancient astronauts/aliens that the world's religions all sprang from. (More on this in my series on them starting here.) The Egyptians of that time believed that pharaohs were go-between people (to the gods) that were half-man and half-god.
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This race of dark skinned people, the Nubians (who were manufactured to be slaves according to the ancient texts of the Sumerians) apparently had no technology, and no writing until much later. . . when they adopted their culture, writing and other things from the Egyptians, Also later they apparently started interbreeding with them, but as is typical in history, we can trace the breeding to be completely one sided. In other words, the slave masters did as the Bible described in Genesis 6.  "When the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” The same thing happens with any slave race, the woman are "taken", likely against their will.


 It was said in the ancient Sumerian texts that the slave race of these "gods" was simply created to dig for gold and precious metals. . .which was to be brought back to their planet to grind up and repair their atmosphere. It was said to be a planet with a lot of gold on it, and for this reason, the people from there also evolved to shine. (As referenced to a lot in the Bible as well.) Ironically, the name "Nubia" or "Nubian" is thought may originate with an ancient Egyptian noun, nebu, meaning "gold".


Back to the lack of wars though: The wars that eventually did happen were for he purposes of dominating and controlling the neighboring races of the [slave] Hittites and Cannanites who eventually rebelled. Which I suspect was the cause of all "war" until they disappeared and left their children in charge to squabble about history, eventually changing it enough to make it into a religion. As humans are still prone to do even today.
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Anyhow, at this time before war, the physical body could theoretically live forever, or at least a very long time. In the time before the Bible was written down, the belief in the gods was recent history that everyone knew, because the chosen ones actually walked with the gods! Adam, Eve and Enoch were said to walk and talk with "God" in the Bible (Which was actually plural "gods"). The book of Enoch goes into much greater detail of what most would call an alien abduction today.

 If we take the genealogies and stories seriously, these men in the Bible lived many hundreds of years before the flood! It is often theorized by Christians that the reason it seemed to change was more exposure to the sun with a much lessened atmosphere/"canopy of water". The real question: Is there any evidence of these stories being true? Were old men found in these areas, at that time? Actually yes!

Did you know that like how reptiles continue to grow throughout their lives, we have a few things that grow the longer we age too? We have a brow bone that protrudes and a jaw that grow longer, Do you know what they speculate that a very old face would start to look like? An ape. Could this be the confusion between our ancestry? It is understandable, but when there is only a slight look of an ape in the face, yet with all the even superior technology we know they had, the uprightness they stood with, the language ability we now know they had, and most importantly a blood type (RH-) not found in any primate (much less on this planet!), it seems that people should recheck their presumptions about the origins of humans.

So not only do at least some people's cells have the possibility of being eternal, we also have sculls showing that our ancestors did live around 800 to 100 years old, according to projections based on how fast those bones grow in humans now.

What about the "spirit" that people associate with "God"?
" The Ancient Egyptians believed that the pharaoh's spirit [the part of them that was said to be "God"] could live for an eternity, which means forever. They believed that the pharaoh would become [only] a god after he died, so pharaohs were buried in a tomb with many treasures which could be enjoyed in their Afterlife." (Mind you, as spirits are not known to need abstinence or generally be able to move things, not surprisingly the tombs when opened did not looked touched.)

Socrates said that "the actual practice of learning to leave the physical body and live in the spiritual body. . . is called "dying."

Egyptians did not call their ruler a "pharaoh" before 1554 BC during the 18th dynasty. Before that, pharaoh meant "Great House" in Egyptian and referred to the palace of the king.

Could this be what later evolved to be the belief that the spirit of "god" dwells within God's children?  The body is known as God's "temple" in the Bible, which could also be translated as "great house". So is the human body just a vessel for the alien spirit? When the vessel dies, the spirit of "god" being much longer living (even believed to be eternal) would then live on. . . possibly passing on to another "temple" or "vessel". . . possibly not. The spirit would then just be in a state of waiting to move on. 

Considering there is a lot of evidence for reincarnation, and ghosts living loose among us, this seems very likely to be the case. It's my theory for now anyhow. Besides, if life after death is as good as we're told by the religious, why do ghosts remain here and for what purpose?

 It's not the only link with my theory though: we also have the "witness of the Spirit" spoken of in the Bible. This is that feeling we get that we know a person, even though we have hardly met. Is the ancient alien/"god" part of us, reincarnated in it's eternal "cells", communicating with itself divided and living within humans! (Some people, possibly because of their bloodline as "Children of God" being a bigger draw to the alien spirit. . .I don't know, but kind of spooky!) 

We may have a god parasite!
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How might this "spirit" of the larger "gods" (literally translated "tall men") manifest in our smaller human bodies? Ever heard of our energy fields? Some people have larger ones, and some smaller, but all extend out from the body. This is a fascinating new science that use to be only in the realm of the mystical "quacks" but is gaining legitimacy, being talked of and researched by scientists more and more. A scientist and well renoun author was recently talking on the Opera show with Dr. Oz about energy medicine and this field around and in the body, from a scientific basis.
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Historically, this is a well known and practiced medicine who's basis is in the "spiritual" part of the body. There are skeptics of course, most of which will deny even the existence of this inner force, and yet anyone who is honest can see and feel the effects of this force. When you walk into a dark room, can you feel a presence in the room at times? How about when someone stands too close to you in a crowd? You may feel they are touching you although they are not, you may feel uncomfortable or anxious although there is no threat, you may even feel emotions that aren't your own - all of these feelings are due to your energy which comes out a little way from your physical body coming into contact with the other person. It's not as odd as it sounds.

When someone is close that you don't like, can you feel the negative energy? When someone is a needy, self centered or manipulative person, do you feel a suction of your energy force being around them? When someone is even looking at you (focusing their energy in your direction) do you feel their eyes on you even before you look at them? Depending on your sensitivity, and how big your and their energy field is, this can be felt nearer or further away.

How do we know the human energy field really exists besides intuition or imagination?

"Knowledge of the human energy field comes from ancient texts [like the Sumerian text, which literature has things like knowledge of the planets that was not known by common man for many thousands of years after.] and metaphysical literature, as well as what is observed through “high sense perception”. High sense perception is a term coined by Barbara Brennan to refer to the phenomena of “clairvoyance” — the ability to see that which lies beyond the reach of physical sight. The human energy field can be perceived in a number of different ways by use of what could be considered to be more subtle aspects of the 5 senses. Clairvoyance or “subtle sight” is only one way. People who are sensitive to the energy field may also hear it (clairaudience), sense it kinesthetically (clairsentience) or even have experiences of subtle smell and taste. Different people sense it in different ways, although some feel that everyone is capable of developing all types of subtle sense perception." 

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People can be stingy with their energy, as they have found it regularly drained from them. These are people, like me, that don't like hugs. Even the quiet presence of someone is a distraction to me, and I find I must be alone to give focus of my energy to anything fully. Some people I believe are more likely to be like this if they have a large energy field (which I have been told I do) because they get the effects of energy draining people from a further distance away. . .which causes it to happen more often. 

This larger energy field is evidenced in a large "personal space", and not liking physical touch, unless intentionally to heal. (Like a massage.) Perception is as good as intention here it seems to me, as those who you perceive don't like you, cannot heal you, nor can those who don't like you, pass on healing energy to you. 

Thoughts that are healing can actually be passed as energy from a distance, and thus the justification of prayer, which with intense "intention," thought, or "good vibes" can actually cause a reaction from a far. (Most times it has as much effect as praying to a horseshoe though, as the prayer is selfish or insincere.)

"Thoughts and actions can have severe consequences on our health, not just our own but those we direct our thoughts at." This is why doctors are confounded with miraculous healings. There is no denying the fact that how we think can change our health, but it is sketchy how this works on others, as we often don't even know who is sending good vibes our way. 

 Communication from this spirit of others is generally felt with an inner 'knowing' or thought popping in to your head, they may appear in dreams or provide a 'sign' relating to the information they want to impart. They may simply want to let people know they are near, safe and well and are felt by a cold shiver or goose bumps, or a breeze. These can be called ghosts, the spirit of God, or what have you, but we are talking of the paranormal here, and I think it's the alien spirit/parasite. 

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Whether for the good or bad though, this spirit is longer lasting then our bodies, and when we die our "energy field" leaves the body. When exactly does it enter into the next one? 

It is said by those who can see this energy field that the fetus while in the womb of the mother has no spirit. The spirit does goes in and out of the fetus, as if checking it out though, until it is born. As soon as the shoulders are out of the canal, a weak aura starts to appear. (Could this explain the light at the end of the tunnel that people see as they are dying?) 

The spirit has now to stay within the confines of the body after it is born. They say that depending on how content and willing the spirit is to reincarnate into that body, the child will live or die. This may correlate to the high rate of infant mortality (SIDS) in the first few months.

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So to recap:

• Cells could theoretically live forever if treated right.
• Our bodies in the past, before wars, have apparently, based on bone growth and the projection of time, lived as long as the Bible claims they did before the flood.
• The ancients believed in their leaders being gods.
• Later in the history, the children of the gods were believed to be having a "spirit of the gods" within that was released upon death. 
• By the 18th Dynasty the "gods" seemed to have left, and the name "pharaoh" came about, along with the belief in them being half god.half man.
• Pharaoh is translated "Great house", a similar concept to that in the Bible of God dwelling within the person who was his child. 
• This spirit or energy field within is larger, like the "tall men" or "gods" and seems to divide and reincarnate, just like cells.
• This spirit can be called energy, or our "force", "the witness of the spirit" or our "personal space".
• This spirit or energy is healing to the physical body if shared around physically or even mentally it seems.
• This spirit or energy leaves us when we die.
• The spirit or energy goes into a baby as it is being born. . .thus the light at the end of the tunnel.

And the process starts all over again. I believe that would be the definition of living forever. So the kingdom of heaven is within us, as Jesus said. We will be eternally living through people in the future as he is living in us now. Yes Jesus is basically "in my heart." So this is Fascinating stuff, "EH?" Does that make me a Christian all over again?! 

How to Avoid Most pregnancy, Birth & Baby Problems.

How to Avoid Most pregnancy, Birth & Baby Problems  
1. Stay away from people and places that stress you out. Pain is a function of tension, particularly during childbirth. Doctors, Midwives, friends and even family can complicate delivery by closing the birth canal by up to 30%. 

2. Avoid drugs of all kinds. Alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine and all but the most essential medications should be avoided completely, as they inevitably have side effects. This includes while nursing. . .as I got into in my post called :Prednisone- our story made public.

 3. Plan to breastfeed no matter what! Make a point to read the latest volume of THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING before the birth of your first child. It is put out by the La Leche League. Also make it a point to go to as many meetings as you can of your towns local chapter's LLL meetings. Robert Mendelssohn, M.D.,author of MALEpractice says "The only women who cannot breastfeed are those who have had bilateral radical mastectomies...or those who go to pediatricians." Support for childraising and nursing coming from lactation consultants or LLL leaders is way superior to that coming from Pediatricians BTW. (The latter of which I see rare use for personally.)

 4. Don't get pregnant too early or late. It is best to be pregnant when you are an adult. Better not to be an old woman, nor a girl. Risks to mother and child are greatly increased among very young and very old mothers. Also, if you are older but have already had numerous pregnancies and babies, you will have more healthy eggs longer. (Just think of all the periods you didn't have wasting your good eggs!) 
5. And speaking of timing, have a healthy space in between your children. Historically that has been a minimum of 2 years before you get pregnant. (Preferably 3 though.) Depending on how pregnancy goes, that insures enough time with the first in a crucial stage of life (presuming you are with them) and consequently no jealousy or rivalry about the new intruder. . .as well as your calcium and iron stores to be rebuilt.

 6. This is a tough order, but try to put your spouse FIRST so you will not harm your baby with the stress of a break up or emotional arguments.

 7. Go for massages and chiropractic adjustments regularly.(In my experience, the good masseuse is worth more to your health and a better bang for your buck for both preventative and not then the chiropractor. . .but should be able to tell you if the other is needed.)

 8. Take wild yam progesterone cream if you don't want miscarriages, PMS, stretch marks or baby blues. This is a wonder cream, and I have personally had it work for infertility caused from stress twice! (As stress causes a depletion in progesterone.)
 9. Eat whole foods to hunger, and very moderate amounts of anything processed. (Like canned stuff, or pre packaged stuff with more then a few ingredients.) Most pregnancy issues and defects of baby can be traced to a poor diet, which is evidenced by a fat malnourished body. Those very overweight people who start eating a good diet in pregnancy often instead of gaining weight, they actually loose it!
 10. Supplement with good stuff like kelp, herbal teas, whole salts, green drinks, Floradix iron and herbs liquid iron supplement, blackstrap molasses, and krill oil as often as your symptoms say you need or can afford, instead of the synthetic prenatals. If you want to take herbs, try to take them individually, so you can tell what works for one thing. Herbalists now say they probably work best if not combined.
11. Don't over exercise! Those who do, often have low birth weight or early babies.  Most often unless it's just because those woman are not from European descent, those woman with small or early babies are very thin and are habitual joggers or the like. They often cannot carry the baby to term if they do manage to get pregnant at all.
12. Avoid putting any foreign and unnatural substance into or on you, or your child's system or skin. This includes drugs, vaccines, soaps, lotions, ointments, herbicides and pesticides. Read up on everything, and don't trust studies that are backed by the very people who put out the junk, they are WRONG! Use natural methods and preventative instead, and avoid or if they are open to it, confront with info anyone who would challenge you to otherwise hurt your baby. . .
13 Have a competent caregiver for your pregnancy if needed, but especially the birth and postpartum. Not everyone needs help with the pregnancy, but you cannot be your own caregiver at the birth of your baby without a lot of risks. You need a caregiver who can deal with but also avoid the emergencies. Like I mentioned in #1 just feeling out of your element can cause problems, but having procedures forced onto you by caregivers looking for convenience and treating you as a number is a classic cause of problems as well. The definition of a competent caregiver is IMO, one knows how to deliver most malpositioned or large babies without the use of a knife. Sadly, you will not find that level of training in any but the specialists of natural birth: homebirth Midwives (CPM's, lay Midwives or some Doulas ). So if you feel you need the hospital, just know that their training is inferior in natural birth, and so you will likely not have one.
14. Lastly, make friends with medicinal baths, they can add to your body what tastes bad, so you don't need to eat it. They can also take away what you shouldn't have put in there in the first place. I will get into my favorite medicinal baths, and all the many options in my next post called the wonders of medicinal baths.

Considering an "Unassisted childbirth"?

In dedication to my little (actually, 10 lbs. 5 oz. at birth) newborn Jayson, I want to educate the world on unassisted birth. (How he was brought into the world.)

Like me, more and more women are choosing to give birth at home without the assistance of doctors or certified midwives. And although this may shock and frighten some people, contrary to popular opinion, unassisted birth can actually be safer than assisted birth. When a woman is not interfered with, either physically by the assistant's hand (constant checking, monitoring, drugs, etc.) or psychologically by her own mind (fear, shame, and guilt), babies are often born quickly and easily.

 If you didn't already know this, an unassisted homebirth, otherwise known as a "traditional homebirth" , freebirth or "Unassisted childbirth"( "UC" for short) is not actually always totally unassisted, but is simply a birth not assisted by a licensed and certified professional. Most cases of UC that I have heard of have experienced or trained help though. Sometimes that help comes in the form of lay or training Midwives, Doulas or even nurses. . .often as well as a Mother or Mother in law, friend and usually the husband as well.

Some people do just UC at the birth, and get prenatal care, others do both unassisted pregnancy and childbirth. I only felt comfortable doing this now on my 5th baby, and frankly don't understand the mindset that wants to be completely alone the first time. Unassisted pregnancy and childbirth, especially the truly alone type, is definitely not for everyone, and I would be very concerned if many of you tried it! That said, you might be one of those who are ready to consider it as an option, so first let's talk about the legal ramifications. . .

While in some backwards states homebirth with even certified professional Midwives (CPM's) is still unregulated or even illegal, UC is surprisingly legal in every state! (As there is no way to prove that it didn't happen accidentally with a short labor.) So while you could not be prosecuted for neglect in the case of an emergency hospital transfer, or a bad outcome, often a certified or even lay Midwife is. Strangely though the line between lay Midwife (illegal in most states) and Doula (legal everywhere) is very fine and sketchy. Because of this, woman get away with their caregiver/Midwife coming with them to the hospital (unpersecuted) IF they are named as the mothers' Doula, and don't have a bunch of equipment with them.

Considering the legal issues and controversy surrounding CPM's and certified nurse midwives (CNM's) in some States, some choose to go solo simply based on this. Others, feeling they have no choice, because they cannot have the natural birth they want in a small local hospital (or even at home with some CPM's or CNM's) simply because they had a c-section before choose an UC. Other times the location a person is in just may not have a close enough Midwife, of any sort. Or the person wants more control, or they feel that intervention is dangerous or unneeded. Sometimes they are a professional themselves, or feel that they are good at caring for their own health themselves. Sometimes it is a case of cost being the issue as well. So for these reasons, and many more, people have had Unassisted childbirth (UC).

 I was one of those who simply saw no need for extra certified help in either the pregnancy or birth. I am also a bit of a control freak, and was not about to give control of my life or baby this last time to anyone else if I could help it. . .

 I nonetheless consider myself both well connected to and supported by the midwifery community, as well as well informed, and very healthy.  I have also seen numerous other homebirths (besides my own), studied Midwifery for many years (alone and with a study group) and am CPR and first aid certified, so was very well prepared. . .not everyone cares to be so involved and take that much responsibility though I understand.

 I also have a very knowledgable Doula friend who had assisted alongside a homebirth Midwife for years before starting nursing school. (She was at my birth, along with others and was very good. If you are in the VA area, and want an assistant, look her up through messaging me.) I had my cheat sheets, lists of supplies, herbals and descriptions and usages and individualized assistant instructions written out to the smallest details, (forms, lists and plans that I can also send in a message or e-mail if anyone needs them.) and with slight exceptions they were followed to a tee. (And also a transfer plan for both me and baby, with a birth plan written out for that case too.)

 I was done with feeling like a sick patient in labor, and like the baby and I had to be checked for position and life constantly. (It seemed very untrusting and pessimistic and the worry and stress it all caused was doing no good I knew.) I was in charge of nothing in labor it seemed in the past, even to some extent in my Homebirths with a CPM. So now finally with my last baby (my 5th living one) I struck out with an UC. My birth went unhindered, and better then any of my others at the hospital or home with a hired professional. I have no regrets.


What was the big deal you ask, that i would choose such an unconventional birth? What was even different about the birth then with an assisted birth with a CPM or CNM you ask? Well, for those curious of UC and pregnancy, I'll give you the nitty gritty of what I did, and why.

 In pregnancy I charted my typical signs and symptoms, but honestly only for accountability and curiosity. I also wanted to look legit in filling in the blanks on a sheet I got from a friend CPM. . . To tell the truth though, I really saw no need for any of it!

So what do your typical caregivers normally check that I now did?

1. Checking for weight.

Think about it, why worry about your weight gain if you are eating healthy food, and you are growing? If you are not gaining by the second trimester, that is an issue, but other then not gaining enough, a healthy woman  with a good diet should not be concerned with gaining too much. I have gained 45 to 50 lbs each time and just had big babies.

    2. urine sticks.

If you feel no issues with your bladder and feel good, why check your urine? I have had a few CPM's now tell me that the urine sticks are an old formality that rarely help with diagnosing anything, so I believe them. That said, I happen to have bought them in the past to check the PH of my family, so I did use them occasionally.

   3. Taking my blood pressure.

My blood pressure is classically low. . .too low, so I have had no worries about high BP and didn't take it more then when I visited Walmart a few times, and when a few of my friends wanted practice.

  4. Measuring my fundus.

So if I measured a little small (which I never do) I would know I might be a little off my mark on the bottom or top, or it's not a growth spurt time for baby. If I measured a little big, I would know that it is normal for me and likely not twins. Either way, as I do the fertility charting, I know my dates, and have never been off them much. (Though classically I was around 2 weeks late of my due date.) At worst case scenario, if the measurements were more then a little off, I would simply take myself in for an ultrasound to confirm life, growth and or twins. (The same thing a Midwife or doctor has and would do.)

   5. Ultrasounds.

There is no evidence that regular and routine ultrasounds help a pregnancy in any way, and to the contrary, there is evidence that they harm some cells in their formative stages. Particularly the ones in a baby girls ovaries, effecting the next generation. Though the studies have been covered up and people have been silenced. . .because the tests are a huge money maker! (In my area, each one not covered by insurance costs $800.00)

   6. Listening for babies heart tones.

This I could do (with borrowed equipment) but mostly others did with a fetoscope (for practice) but honestly I saw little use in it either. . . Besides after a diagnosis of a live baby, only in the rare case of distress in the womb before a miscarriage (because of a cord or placenta hemorrhage or some strange thing) does measuring heart tones actually give a better survival rate for the baby. . . but only if you just happen to check at the exact time it was happening. . .which is usually pretty sudden. So in the end, up until labor it is pretty much only good for connecting with baby and to tell us it's alive. . .something most mom's can feel pretty well from week 15 or so.

   7. Testing

The tests doctors put you through are predominantly about how good your diet and health is, which if you already know your issues, or don't have them, you can feel free to skip. For first babies, or if you aren't in a stable relationship, you may want some of those tests once at least, but they are something you can get yourself through a clinic or doctors office usually. Sometimes the pregnancy crisis centers offer them for free! I got my iron checked in all of my pregnancies, as that tends to be my issue, but I would think a test for all the vitamins and minerals you can do would be ideal! The better you can eat, and follow your actual needs and symptoms, the better off you and baby will be.

   8. Interventions.

From position checks, sweeping the membranes, cervical checks and breaking the bag of waters to shots of pitocin, oxygen, or tests and procedures for baby; all are at best useless or controversial and at worst dangerous.
   9. palpitation.

Checking for position, or two babies is unreliable at best (As I found putting myself in the hands of numerous assistants and Midwives one night and not telling them what the others felt.) It is somewhat reliable and useful in labor, but hopefully if you have been paying attention, and are at all good at feeling baby parts yourself, you will be just as good as the Midwife for telling where feet are and where the head is. . .though even when the baby is in a good position in labor it can change. (And vise versa.) So basically, it is simply for fun or curiosity and out of tradition that people do it. . .doctors do not do it at all.

 10. Advice

I found Midwives to know a lot about herbs, natural fixes and give good counsel as a general rule, but through a few good online resources I could also save myself the trouble of remembering to ask them stuff at the appointment time.

So, speaking of resources, If (preferably after having one or more assisted homebirths) you are considering going without professional help for your next pregnancy and/or birth, you will want many resources at your finger tips, much like I gave in my last post What you need for homebirth to be safe.


Some skills and things you will need for starters are:

1.  A knowledge of how and what to google when you have a question. As well as sources to trust. . .
2.  Wise (usually) older woman friends or family to ask counsel of or be a part of a study group for midwifery, etc.
3.  You and (one of) your planned birth assistant(s) being trained somewhat, having taken at least a course in baby CPR/first aid and preferably Neonatal Resuscitation. Also having some knowledge of Emergency Childbirth.  (Preferably like knowing warning signs and how to assist to deliver stuck babies.)
4. A few basic supplies (Everyone has different ideas of what one's are best, but the basics are really mostly for comfort for mom and cleanliness for the area in my opinion.)
5.  Natural remedies on hand for energy, electrolyte balance, blood loss, hemorrhage, trauma of tissue. . .these do no good though without well written out instructions for the assistant if they don't know their use, and you aren't in a frame of mind to tell her/him or remember.
6. A good chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist or herbalist friend to run things by and get help from in the case of a breech baby, hips or tailbone out (hampering the decent of the baby) or otherwise before the birth. They can also be important in helping with recovery for you AND the baby and with signing some forms to get a birth certificate afterwards.
7. A plan for in the case of a hospital transfer, and a willingness to go if needed.
8. Good sites for info to assist you in both prenatal and your overall health like:

• Do-it-Yourself Prenatal Care
• Born Free! - "Laura Shanley's Unassisted Childbirth page." 
• Cure Zone.com and Cure Zone.org "Educating instead of Medicating" - Pages and pages of information, forums, articles and downloads about cleansing and curing an enormous array of conditions. Lots of info about iodine, mercury fillings, liver cleanses, parasites and so on. On the day I happened to add these links, these two sites had 7,566 and 11,188 visitors respectively online at that moment! Lots of activity and sharing of information.
• Dr. Joseph Mercola - His web site is over 10 years old and contains a true wealth of health related information. His newsletter has over 800,000 subscribers and brings a broad range of up to the minute health news, research and analysis to your inbox. Dr. Mercola's web site also now delivers a blog, videos, offers a few select products and maintains a community dedicated to creating health. This is a great resource.
• Earth Clinic - Folk Remedies and Holistic Cures - This large and informative site is one of the top ten most viewed alternative health sites on the web. What is very interesting and refreshing here is that much of the information comes from people writing in. You aren't just reading "expert opinions" here. What you are reading is reports of actual experiences of actual people actually using these remedies.
•  And don't forget, I have a ton more good sites specifically geared for educating people on homebirth in my last post called:  What you need for homebirth to be safe.

What you don't need is permission from your friends, or family, even your husband. (I know, those religious people will hate this lack of submission here, but as you can see in the rest of my blog, that didn't work for me.) This is your birth, and just as all mammals do, you need to be in a comfortable place, and doing what you need to do to feel safe. If that's being alone, with hubby or just a few good friends, it's the most relaxed and that makes it the safest place for you to birth.

What you need for homebirth to be safe.

I have come to see pregnancy and birth as a beautiful and natural time. I have seen that when in the familiar and calm setting birth deserves, it can be not just rewarding and memorable, but bonding, and as a general rule, safe.  Honestly, the more interventions from caregivers, and thus the more unnatural you get, the higher the risks are. Sometimes people or their caregivers suspect they are (or actually are) high risk, and it justifies a few of the interventions, but in most cases, the intervention may be the cause of you being high risk in the first place! Those rare cases of actual high risk are: 

1.  usually preventable with a good diet, and safe habits and/or practices.
2. usually genetic or unavoidable if they are't fixed with diet and good habits. (Knowing about the rare chances of real problems, and worrying about them happening though, is more likely to cause the problem.)

There are some things that might show a readiness for a homebirth besides having a good diet, smart lifestyle choices and good genes though. 

Those being your thought process:

• If you are constantly amazed with nature and all it's workings, trusting in the natural processes of it.
•  If you know that the body is perfectly capable of birth, as the human body has always been.
•  If you know that supporting a natural process means helping the body through and listening to your symptoms, not just symptom controlling with drugs.
•  If you trust YOUR body and your baby's to do what it needs to do to birth. . .
• A belief that your health is your responsibility. Of course, if you go far down that path, you may end up doing an "unassisted" homebirth. . . but that's getting into my next post. 

To be responsible for your own and your babies health it takes much research though, and I would highly recommend not just anyone jumping into homebirth, and certainly not lightly. . .as you will need to become an advocate, and you will likely make some enemies for your stance. So if you are up for the challenge for the good health of you and your baby you will need to do a lot of reading and have conviction and confidence in your choice. And lest you are concerned if it is legal, thankfully there is no way that the homebirth can be considered illegal or get the parent in trouble in any state. . . as it is not a preventable thing. That said, if you choose to have a certified Professional Midwife (CPM) or a Certified nurse Midwife (CNM) assisting you in some States, it can mean trouble for them if they are caught practicing without a state license. (Which they cannot get!)

Even when they are certified in legal states, they are held accountable to a board of Doctors for everything they do, and are likely to get in trouble for the least little thing that goes wrong, whether or not the family has a problem with it or blames her. The CPM and CNM's in legal states are supposedly protected from jail time, but are put through just as much stress from the scrutiny of the board from all I have heard. It's a bunch of red tape that has caused some (like myself) to not pursue the certification or license and instead call themselves a Doula or if they are brave, a direct entry, traditional or lay Midwife and hope they can get homebirth clients by word of mouth. Like I have found with massage therapy, certification doesn't equal skill. You either have what it takes, or you don't, and no amount of training can give you what it takes to be good. 

If you want more info on the numerous aspects of homebirth, the following are good resources that many people have found helpful. (Especially for convincing family members of the safety of homebirth): 

Articles & Links:
 Is Homebirth For You? 

Homebirth Safety and Benefits

But What If...? - Questions Commonly Asked of Homebirth-ers by Kim Wildner - Great list of questions and answers written by a homebirth mom.

  British Medical Journal study 
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articl...ogyinbirth.asp
http://gentlebirth.org/archives/prntshar.html
http://www.homebirthdallas.org/HANDWebResources
http://www.texas-midwife.com/safe.htm
http://gentlebirth.org/archives/prntshar.html
http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/5510/studies.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~eaglefalc...irthoprah.html
http://www.homebirth.org.uk/homebirthindex.htm
http://www.healthychild.com/database..._like_home.htm
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articl...irthchoice.asp
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/gracious.asp
http://www.birthpsychology.com/violence/odent1.html
http://www.acegraphics.com.au/articles/wagner01.html
http://www.birthpsychology.com/birthscene/otoday4.html
http://www.changesurfer.com/Hlth/homebirth.html
http://www.nashvillemidwife.com/safety.html

For men only:
menbirth@yahoogroups.com - This list is a place for husband's and partners to safely discuss their concerns, fears, experiences and joys concerning the births of their children.

The 7 Secrets of Being A Home Birth Dad By Ven Batista - a lovely mini-essay.
Happy Father of Home Born Babies - This is designed to be a forum for fathers who have homebirthed their children or for fathers who are contemplating the homebirth experience. 

Books: 

Immaculate Deception by Suzanne Arms
Special Delivery by Rahima Baldwin Dancy
Birth at Home by Sheila Kitzinger
The Cultural Warping of Childbirth by Doris Haire
The Home Birth Book by Charlotte and Fred Ward
Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg
Active Birth by Janet Balaskas
Birth Without Violence by Frederick Leboyer
Birth Reborn by Michael Odent
The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin
Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities by Henci Goer
Pushed by Jennifer Block
Guide to childbirth by Ina May
Your best birth:know all your options, discover the natural choices and take back the birth experience. By Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein
Childbirth without fear by Dr. Grantly Dick Read
Gentle birth choices by Barbara Harper
Baby catcher: chronicles of a modern Midwife. By Peggy Vincent.
Birthing from Within. By Pan Egland and Rob Horowitz
Natural childbirth the Bradley way. By Susan McCutcheon