Page 11 - Spring2009

Letters

As it turns out, I no longer have any the important factors, since breathing shared a similar scar. My road to VBAC
symptoms, and haven’t had for four properly is paramount when singing began.
years now. But I read the article at www. properly. Or it could be the total body Something that concerned me with a
westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/fibro- vibration of singing. VBAC was Group B Strep. I had tested
myalgia.html anyway. At the bottom, Jane Short positive for GBS in the past and learned
I noticed you had posted a letter from Westland, Michigan that I was very likely to test positive in
someone named Geoff Caplan, which subsequent pregnancies. The hospital
put forward the guaifenesin treatment HEALTHY BABY GIRL protocol for GBS patients, suggested
that Dr. St. Amand, MD, has been tout- When my recent pregnancy began by the CDC, is antibiotics administered
ing for years as a cure. I knew I wanted two things: a VBAC every four hours until delivery. If a
In 1996 Dr. Robert Bennett, MD, (vaginal birth after cesarean) and I GBS+ mom does not receive at least
presented the results of a one-year wanted it free of antibiotics. I began two doses, the baby is given antibiotics
placebo-controlled double-blind study educating myself on both fronts. and closely monitored for 24-48 hours. I
about the effectiveness of the guai- wanted to avoid this routine exposure
fenesin treatment at the Orlando to antibiotics.
American College of Rheumatology I set about living the WAPF life-
meeting. It turns out that it doesn’t style. It was pretty loose as we weren’t
work any better than the sugar-pill buying raw milk yet, but we were
placebo did. The treatment helped living on simple whole foods, coconut
in some cases, but it didn’t seem oil, and traditional food preparation.
to have much to do with the drug, I learned that a heightened immune
and it certainly wasn’t because the system increases your chances of be-
treatment was drawing out calcium ing GBS negative. I also learned that
phosphate deposits. In fact several GBS lives and proliferates in the gut. I
studies,including those of Dr. Rob- figured that having good gut flora was
ert Simms, MD, in 1993, haven’t the best way to kick GBS. I gave up
shown any hint of such deposits in sugar—even honey—until I worked
cells in the first place.You can find that back in. I cultured yogurt from
out more about Dr. Bennett’s study non-homogenized, low-heat pasteur-
at www.fmnetnews.com/resources- ized milk. I drank plain kefir. I brewed
alert-product6.php. my own kombucha and drank six to
Personally, I used yoga, biofeed- With my fifth child, I had to un- eight ounces daily.
back, meditation, strict avoidance of dergo a C-section for placenta previa, At thirty-six weeks I was tested
sucrose in any form, and (oddly enough) a problem in pregnancy where, in for GBS. I got the results on a Monday
training in singing to push my fibromy- layman’s terms, the placenta blocks the morning. I was GBS negative! That
algia into remission. The first four were exit. There is no safe delivery for mother Friday at thirty-six weeks and five days
helping some, but it wasn’t until I added or baby that doesn’t involve a surgeon my water broke. I waited a little more
the singing that the symptoms finally and a knife. than twenty-four hours before going
went away. For my sixth child I learned all there into the hospital for a soft induction, a
Which leads me, in a totally an- was to know about the VBAC. I joined very gradual administration of pitocin (a
ecdotal, non-scientific way, to wonder ICAN (International Cesarean Aware- synthetic hormone to bring on contrac-
whether proper breathing isn’t one of ness Network) and met many moms who tions).

SPRING 2009 Wise Traditions 9