Page 14 - Summer2008

Letters

any low-weight baby the midwives
be interesting to see whether there is website for pre-conception, includ-
any correlation of brain lesions with ing plenty of grassfed beef, pastured have ever seen (which is saying a lot
naturally occurring vitamin D in foods chicken and eggs, butter, raw milk and considering they have both worked in
like cod liver oil, shrimp, liverwurst, egg cheese,  sh eggs, homemade chicken neonatal wards). With lots of nursing,
yolks, etc., which also supply vitamin A. stock, sprouted bread, brown rice, fruits Alina doubled her birth weight by the
Weston Price did not  nd problems in and vegetables, and of course the daily time she was eight weeks old. I have
populations consuming far more than dose of cod liver oil. I planned to have continued to follow the WAPF dietary
1100 IU vitamin D per day from natural a homebirth with midwives, and one of recommendations for nursing mothers,
food sources. the focuses of midwifery is the diet of and consequently Alina has continued
the pregnant mother. Throughout the to thrive.
IV FEEDING pregnancy, my midwives were amazed Why the placenta was malformed
Last December, my father-in-law and pleased with my diet that was so remains a mystery. My theory is that it
was in the hospital, unable to talk or outside the norm. could be related to over ten years of birth
swallow following a stroke. For a period Towards the end of pregnancy, control pills prior to pregnancy in com-
of time, he was on a tube feeder and I there was some concern because my bination with the fact that, according to
was able to read the ingredients from baby seemed somewhat small and my my fertility awareness charts, my hor-
his food bottle. The ingredients are wa- blood pressure was getting quite high. mone levels were still abnormal when
ter, corn syrup, soy protein isolate, soy Nonetheless, my husband and I decided Alina was conceived seven months after
protein concentrate, canola oil, medium that natural homebirth was still our most I stopped taking the pill. Regardless, I
chain triglycerides, potassium citrate, prudent course of action. literally owe the life of my daughter to
partially hydrolyzed guar gum and then After a great labor, Alina Kathryn the nourishing, traditional diet recom-
a long list of manufactured vitamins and Smith was born at home on March 17, mended by WAPF.
minerals. 2007 at full term. She was 18 inches Sarah Smith
I am so sad to learn that there is no long, but we were all surprised to see Las Cruces, New Mexico
food or nourishment in these bottles. how skinny she was, weighing in at
There are people all over the country just four pounds. The cause of her low FOR SCIENTISTS
every day whose only food is this. I weight soon became apparent as the AND LAY READERS
hope that by raising awareness of real placenta was found to be smaller than Please note that the mission of
nutrition, WAPF will lead the way for a normal with large portions that were the Weston A. Price Foundation is to
better future and the availability of real not properly formed. Alina was so small provide important information about
food to all people—those who are well because nutrient  ow through the pla- diet and health to both scientsts and

and the inrm. centa was severely limited. The placenta laymen. For this reason, some of the
Maureen Smuin was unlike any ever seen by the senior articles in Wise Traditions are neces-
Grand Junction, Colorado midwife, who has attended over 2,000 sarily technical. It is very important
births. for us to describe the science that
MIRACLE BABY My midwives told me that I was able supports the legitimacy of our dietary
principles. In articles aimed at scien-
I want to share a story that shows the to maintain the pregnancy only because tists and practitioners, we provide a
power of a nourishing, traditional diet of my exceptional diet, and that such a summary of the main points and also
during pregnancy. When I got pregnant compromised placenta would generally put the most technical information in
during the summer of 2006, I had spent lead to miscarriage. Although skinny, sidebars. These articles are balanced
the previous few months following the Alina was born perfectly healthy, and by others that provide practical advice
dietary recommendations on the WAPF was able to gain weight faster than to our lay readers.
12 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2008