american birthing culture

Each year, approximately four million babies are born in the United States. 92% are born in a hospital with an obstetrician in attendance; while only 8% are attended by a midwife either in a hospital, free-standing birth center, or at home vs. 70% midwife attended birth in Europe and Japan. 

America spends TWICE as much per birth than any other country in the world. The business of childbirth has become just that – a business. Three out of every four Americans becomes a parent, yet most of us know very little about the actual process of giving birth until we actually experience it. 

Media presents birth as a medical event only “safe” in the hands of doctors and the medical establishment. With all of our technological advances in science, the United States of America still ranks last among the industrialized nations in infant mortality and low birth weight – 24th in the world. Today’s educated women are concerned about childbirth with iatrogenic complications, and mortality due to over-medicalization and unwarranted procedures. 

Childbirth is not an illness but is managed as such. We must be informed of America’s current situation in order to acknowledge the social and psychological ramifications that it has on our culture. What is happening in American birth today needs to be re-evaluated before we can lower our horrific maternal and infant mortality rates, and make childbirth in this country free from unwarranted procedures and preventable casualties once again.

for love of daddy - j'adore mon pere

dad. papa. daddy. pop. dada. pere. father. whatever you called him, he is every little girl's first love...he is every little boy's first hero. in honor of all fathers we celebrate you today. i miss my daddy like crazy. he will always be the bar that all men must measure up to in my life. my dad loved my mom like she was the only woman on earth...that's the love i want. 

fathers are special beings. they leave a remarkable imprint on our lives. yes, mothers give us our lives and nurture as through it all - if we are lucky...but there is something unique about the relationship with our fathers. i wish mine was still here. he didn't say much but when he did, it came from a special place and there was a lot of thought behind it. i just wish he had told me more because now that he is gone, every word he spoke is sacred to me. i lost him way too soon. i felt exceptionally lucky because MY DAD CHOSE ME [and my mom]. she said he took one look at me - a fat and chunky baby - and it was love. he always wanted a daughter and i was the lucky girl. 

he was talented and skilled with woodworking so i had the most unique and incredible toys. when other kids got plastic rocking horses, my dad built me a wooden rocking elephant and painted her pink! he built me a play house for the backyard, and recycled a standing, wire greeting card fixture into a bird cage filled with colorful stuffed birds and a nest of easter eggs! he maintained my addiction to barbie and baseball cards, took me to disneyland whenever i wanted to go, and threw me the most amazing birthday parties. one year, he made a giant peace sign stencil and painted symbols all over the concrete of the backyard in keeping with the theme of my party. when he poured some cement in the yard, he had us put our hands and feet down so it would be like our version of grauman's chinese theater! at age 13, he made me a desk nameplate because he said i would be somebody important when i grew up. yes, i was a lucky girl. 

he passed on many years ago, but there are things about my dad i will remember like he blinked a lot, and his eyes twinkled when he laughed. when you asked how he was, his answer was always, "fair to middling." his favorite chair was the green one in the den. he would sit in it with a TV tray for his snacks and his screwdriver and watch the dodger games. and he always smelled of paint and old spice. he loved gauguin, and he painted in oil. he was a great cook. he did most of it because mama worked swing shift...so it was just the two of us for dinner on TV trays in the den. even when i was a grown woman, i would go over for dinner with dad - just the two of us - and always it was in the den on TV trays...watching the dodger games. it took me many years to realize why my dad wore old spice when there were so many other men's colognes on the market. it was because of me. it started when i was about 8 or 9. i would get my allowance money at every single holiday - his birthday, father's day, christmas - and go to thrifty drug store which was near my school, and buy a bottle of old spice for two whole dollars. i kept doing it year after year...and he would happily put it on as if it was what he really wanted. sometimes, if i had more money, i would even buy the old spice scented soap on a rope. and there i was one day, in my early 30s, standing in his green-tiled bathroom, opening the bottles of old spice and smelling them before placing them back on the counter. it was then that i had my revelation - you see, even at 30something, i was the one still buying my dad old spice on the holidays! sure, i bought him other things as well but the old spice was now coming from his grandsons.

first thanksgiving: the true story

i often wonder why we were taught things in school that just weren't true. like the first thanksgiving. we do not have thanksgiving day in honor of natives and pilgrims having a feast together as friends. that's a load of crap. it's true that native chief massassoit, squanto, and samoset, and their men brought food to the starving and desolate european colonists, but that is not what was behind the initial proclamation of thanksgiving day. 

it has been documented that thanksgiving day as proclaimed by general washington, was a day for fasting and praying. yes, i wrote "fasting" not gorging ourselves on an abundance of food. in fact, thanksgiving day occurred more than once a year...individual colonies had their own thanksgiving days set aside for prayer and fasting. they also claimed thanksgiving day when adopting state constitutions, and honoring military victories. yes...even military victories over the indigenous people they stole land from, as well as against the brits. for example, a thanksgiving celebration was held in december 1777 nationwide throughout the colonies to commemorate british general burgoyne's surrender. so let's call this for what it truly is, big family gathering over dinner day. happy family dinner day to you!

insomnia sux

i have serious sleeping issues. so normally i go to bed at this time but for some bizarre reason i was exhausted two hours ago. so i crashed and burned. next thing you know, i am wide awake like it's the middle of the next day. i really tried. i tossed and turned, and then my head started going all over the place and i was thinking way the hell too much about everything. i just couldn't turn my brain off. and the most bizarre thing is that i had no coffee today. the thing about coffee...i never drank a cup of joe my entire life, up until two years ago. i always loved the smell of the wicked brew, just never had a taste for it. see, it was J3's fault. he was a barista boy at starbux his last summer here, and got me to drinking this stuff. it is an acquired taste, and now that i've acquired it, i drink it quite often...with lots of sugary syrups and whip because I don't like it on it's own. supposedly, it's good for women...but who really knows? one of my little rewards for going to starbux is those free itune cards you get there. it's most definitely a v. cool way to expand your music exposure to people you might not have ever thought to bother to listen to. so i go into starbux yesterday, and they shout out my name as they start my double tall white chocolate mocha with whip before i even make it to the register...i feel like norm on cheers...and then after i pay, i go to the pickup side to get my itunes card and my beverage. i am like one of pavlov's dogs, i've been so conditioned. but then the last couple of times i went in...there was no itunes card! and i'm like, dude! what's up with this? you're holding out on me! and they're like, we'll put them back out next month. the manager thought he would soften the blow with a free slice of pumpkin loaf. but somehow that just didn't make up for it...as much as i enjoyed that tasty slice of autumn bread, i was unsatisfied and wanted my itunes. they just didn't get the signifigance of this interuption of my routine. not cool at all. they broke our bond. so now i have no other choice but to visit another location and get my music fix in the meantime. okay...now what...i am still wide awake, trying not to think of anything, and knowing that nothing is open this time of the morning...not starbux...not even a bar...so there is no point of leaving the flat. where do the night people go on a wednesday at 2:30am?

living in the hood

i moved here some years ago at the urging of a friend. i knew that i had to get the hell out of seattle as soon as i could sell my house, and was planning on returning to my native city of angels, but thought i would give the bay area a try first before heading south. this is an interesting little town that i live in. it has a nasty rep for crime but knock on wood, this neighborhood hasn't had any real issues. it also has an amazing history as a shipyard town during WWII, and home of rosie the riveter. i had moved in with my friend for about 3 weeks when a flat opened up two doors down. so i hurriedly moved into it mainly out of convenience...plus my friend was running short on hospitality. that whole "will and grace" thing just didn't work for us.

the place looked alright upon first inspection but after i moved in, i discovered what a hell hole it really was. i even shared a common wall with a witch. no, i am not being polite and meaning she is a bitch. she is both. i have nothing against what people practice but to make matters worse, she is psychotic and very nasty. six cats, mind you. she is by no means a delightful edie beale but it's freakin "gray gardens" over there. when she opens her door, you just want to pass out. she has on numerous occasions banged on my door with a variety of multiple personalities. one day she decided to drive into my parked car. let's just say, it's been pure entertainment at it's worse.

the landlord is a slumlord. there is no insulation so it is either freakin freezing or horribly hot. the windows need caulking because when they are closed, my draperies move with the drafts. the doors need weather stripping because you can see outside around the frames. one day, my son saw light coming up through the cracks of the floor. honestly, the place needs to be torn down. it's the eyesore of the block. i meant to move a couple of years ago but i was injured so that put my entire life on hold.

so anyway, you know how they say how things happen as they are suppose to happen? well, for some bizarre reason, without any plans to move, i moved. and i hate moving more than anything which probably explains the complacency of living in the pit for so long. following my intuition, i just happened to find a place - 12 blocks over - without looking, and two days later i was signing a lease. two days after that, i was moving! this place is the polar opposite of the hell hole that i had been living in.

ah, the creature comforts...dual paned windows, carpeting, central heat...what more could a girl ask for. as scarlett o'hara once said, "as god is my witness, i will never go to bed cold ever again." okay, so she didn't exactly say that, but i have never gone to bed hungry. you get what i mean.

medical madness

physicians can be patriarchal misogynists. alright. yes, i know there are exceptions...but very few. you can count them on one hand and still have fingers leftover. why is that? where does this arrogant attitude start...in medical school? or is it that they were born that way, and by coincidence, decided to go into the medical profession for the big bucks?

i am so overdone with the god complexes. i am so overdone with scaring women into unnecessary procedures because they will financially profit from it at her expense. i am so overdone with their lies.

i was violated by a doctor. that never goes away. and because he is a doctor, he got away with abusing his "power." something needs to be done about this patriarchal medical practice that we have here in the states. what happened to wellness, and wanting to heal and save lives?

it just angers me every time i hear a story of doctor abuse. so thus my rant here. my doctor-friend laughed when i said "doctors are assholes" to her...she knew exactly what i was talking about. they know what they are. educate yourself, and if it doesn't feel right, move on. there are many of them out there. it may take awhile but you can find one that does truly care about people, and will actually respect you. all i want is a doctor who SEES ME as a person, not as a case. it's medical madness.

trick or treat

so i came across this photo taken when i was like six years old on halloween. when i was a kid, they had those plastic masks with the elastic band that goes around the back of your head. most years i was some form of a white girl. it was either that, or an animal, like a cat or a rabbit, or a cartoon character, like casper the friendly ghost. in this photo, i am heidi, with long yellow yarn braids, and a swiss miss dress and cap. my sidekick is dennis the menance. 

i remember the first year that i didn't wear a mask. i wanted to be a wahine. i wore a little hawaiian print dress, with a plastic lei around my neck, and a plastic flower behind my ear. i even had these outrageous plastic eyelashes...which meant i could not see very well as they were cumbersome, and i stumbled about that night from house to house. the thing that really sucked was that it was cold that year and my mother made me wear a coat so you couldn't see my costume. 

when i got back home with my loot, my adult cousin (who was more of an older brother) would "inspect" my candy. of course, this meant him taking all the candy he liked for himself. he would say things like, "oh, this kind is NOT good," and then he would pocket it. there is something about spreading the contents of that bag of candy all over the living room carpet and going though it. kinda like grabbing the loot that fell from a broken piñata at a birthday party. this kind of acquisition of candy makes it much more valuable than buying it from the drug store. 

when i was in my 20s, i still liked dressing up. okay, call it what it was...cosplay! my favorite character was some form of royalty...anything to wear a tiara. then ballerina. one year i was a baby wearing a giant diaper and bib...even had a giant pacifier and giant diaper pins. as the years went on, it was easier to just put on a little black dress and a witch's hat. i was too busy to make costumes for me since i was busy making costumes for my kids. no plastic faces and crappy hot synthetic outfits for my kids...i was the overachiever mom. so we had peter pan, captain hook, the flinstones, luke skywalker, ghostbusters, ghosts, robin hood, cowboys, pee wee herman, superman, and pinocchio, to name a few...but my very best favorite...roger rabbit. 

i know that there are people who don't let their kids participate in halloween because they are against it for religious reasons. but personally, i think running up and down the street, giggling and laughing your head off while in dress up clothes, and getting all the free candy you can in a single night, is a pretty fun thing for kids to do. one of those things that they will remember when they are older and feeling nostalgic...or had just come across a random photo of a halloween past. to me, it's just like christmas...santa has nothing to do with bebe jesu...it's just about letting your imagination live freely.

2 busy 2 blog

okay. so i have been uber busy lately with midterms, projects, and throwing an event...also known as too busy to blog! happy that the event is over, i was exhausted but before i could catch my breath i then remembered that i was having a house guest! he isn't any trouble at all but still that means planning stuff to do...and then doing it! we did have a couple of lazy moments in between. we're not crazy. it was great having him here though...it is like that when you are with someone you have known since first grade...really great. 

but i had previous plans to go the cinema with like 20 women from a girlfriends meetup group, and i didn't want to leave him alone. contacted the organizer to bail but she said to have him come with. now at first i thought, poor guy...all of these women! clearly, that was my woman brain talking because his man brain responded with, "awesome!" LOL 

anyway, it was a good time, and he had quite the advantage. we went to see "couples retreat" at the alameda theater which i had never been to. one of those gorgeous old theaters that someone was smart enough to save and restore it's architectural integrity. and what was really cool was discovering the little wine shop right next door...you can drink wine and eat cheeses before or after the movie or both! v. cool. we had a pinot noir that melted in your mouth like chocolate...it was warm and yummy, and labeled hitching post. i highly recommend it, now seriously thinking i need to go back and pick up a bottle. or two. cin cin!

despite that wild and crazy rain storm we had on tuesday, there has been sun all week...and today was no exception...a picture perfect october summer day. we rolled over the bridge to marin county and hit the coast...most excellent day for being on the beach. the sand was warm on my feet. the sky clear. the waves stellar. i counted 25 surfers. it was excellent. would have liked to have stayed out there all day but we had another scheduled meet up over in emeryville. meeting up with friends is always a good thing. 

duties of a debutante

i have been pulling myself into multiple directions as of late. and was really looking forward to a bonfire on the beach tonight but the winds changed our plans for us. i am so tired - like dogass find me a spot in the sun to lie in tired - that i can't think, never know what i want to eat, and certainly can't sleep. it is midterms already and i am losing track of time. my plate is full and i just added on another two courses to the meal...yikes! what am i thinking when i continue to take on these projects?

so now i am planning an event...it is a black and white ball. still working on venues, menus, music, decorations, and all the details...but most definitely have this dress in mind. after all, is it not all about the dress? when it comes to formal events that provide me an opportunity to add to my collection of organza, silk, tulle, brocade, and lace floor length costumes, i am as excited as a regency character in a jane austen novel with a dance card. "why of course, mister bingley, you must throw a ball!" because janeites know that dancing is recommended to encourage affection.

g-friends, BFFs, and stalkers, oh my

when i was a young girl, my g-ma said that you should only be able to count your friends on one hand. she had three. the cute thing was they all had names that started with an M. my g-ma outlived two of them, but i remember when marge died. it was like my g-ma had lost her sister. she was devastated. 

i have had some interesting encounters with women over the years who claimed to be my friend, or insinuated themselves into my life because they wanted to be my friend. they did not have a clue to what the word friend means. the thing these women did have in common, was they drove the knife in deep when you least expected. they made it their business to be in my business so that they could talk about me. they were haters. they were stalkers. funny how they did not realize that i knew who and what they were. it's good to know who your enemies are. 

i love my girlfriends. you can't go through life without your girlfriends. when wonderful things happen to you, they are thrilled and excited and will celebrate with you. when you take on a new venture, they support you and pull out the safety net just in case. when you look like hell after three days of labor, they tell you that you are beautiful, bring you flowers, and change your baby's diaper. when you're trying on a dress and the salesgirl tells you it's great on you, they will tell you to put on a girdle cuz your ass is big as a bus in that dress. when that man breaks your heart, they are there for you with tissues, chocolate, wine, and a funny ass movie. and when you need an extra pair of eyes and ears, they will help you mother your children. girlfriends love and accept you just the way you are. 

i have an urban family...my village. these are the friends that are related to you even though not by blood. some knew you back in the day...and others meshed with you more recently.  some that are still there after decades have passed, and you've made a lifetime of memories together. those for real friends that you have reached this level of comfort and connection with that no one else gets. the ones who truly truly truly know and understand you. the ones that never leave no matter what because you are family. blood brothers and sisters without the need to pierce the skin. and yes, i do believe in multiple BFFs because i have them. they are each unique and beautiful and amazing. i love them better than siblings. and yes, i can count them on one hand.

sometimes a girl just wants to wear boardshorts

my search for boardshorts was getting me huhu. i stopped wearing bikinis about four years ago, but the one piece is not comfortable even when they are sized "tall". then finally, someone got smart and started making boardshorts for girls. but tiny girls. ugh. i had no luck finding normal or average sizes even when searching online. none at all.

on my first holiday to hawai'i, i was certain to find boardshorts in a local surf shop so no worries, right? that was what i thought. i was running into the same issue over there...like sizes 0 - 9! GMAFB [if you are a 0, your ass shouldn't be in boardshorts anyway. go get you something to eat and put some normal weight on.] so like don't they get it that the healthy girls don't always want their butts hanging out? well, after hitting up every surf shop on waikiki and over on the north shore, i was pretty frustrated. if roxy can make t-shirts and hoodies in my size...why not boardshorts?

so i started talking to the local girls working in the shops in hale'iva, because let's face it, hawai'ian sisters are healthy girls. i'm like, "sister, what is up with these tiny little sizes in the stores? hawai'ian women are healthy...where do you local girls get your boardshorts? i see the surfer girls have them, so i know someone is selling them."

this is what they all told me...the surf shops are primarily owned by chinese who don't even consider women bigger than them when ordering clothing for their stores. for them the shorts are fashion so they don't consider the sizes of the girls out there who are actually working the waves, right? that's just crazy. the exciting thing was that i did find out where healthy local girls get their board shorts...the aloha bowl swap meet! that place is not to be missed for one thing because everything you could possibly want is there!

so i was huhu no more when i found my shorts! i just love them and bought a few in different colors, too! boardshorts are the best alternative to bikini bottoms. trust me.