The more I read about Miranda Kerr, the more I like her.
Last year, the 29 year old supermodel from Australia who is married to actor Orlando Bloom refused to cave in to pressure from the anti-saturated fat lobby by publicly professing her love of coconut oil with the following statement:
“I will not go a day without coconut oil. I personally take four tablespoons per day, either on my salads, in my cooking or in my cups of green tea.”
Mmmmm, let’s see. Shall we listen to fat, unhealthy looking doctors with expensive vacation homes and yacht payments telling us to avoid coconut oil because it will give us a heart attack who are incidentally getting kickbacks or special perks from drug companies on the amount of cholesterol lowering prescriptions they write, or …
Shall we listen to a woman who is sharing her secret for shiny hair, trim figure, and clear skin which has been used by attractive, healthy Polynesians for centuries who suffered virtually no heart disease whatsoever?
Kerr: Epidurals Result in Drugged Babies
Now, Ms. Kerr has once again stirred up a hornet’s nest with her comments about the dangers of epidurals published as part of her interview in the August 2012 issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK.
Miranda states that she decided to forgo an epidural with the recent birth of her son after observing in baby bonding videos that babies born to mothers who had epidurals did not instinctively go for the breast and appeared out of it and “drugged” unlike babies born to mothers who had not submitted to pain medication who went straight for the breast and were alert and looking around:
“The baby was a little bit drugged up, and I was like, ‘Well I don’t want that.’ I wanted to give him the best possible start in life I could.”
Dr. Deborah Stein, who practices obstetric anethesiology at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York, fired back by insisting that there “is no concern of epidural anesthesia on a newborn baby.”
Yeah right, doc. A little concerned about those yacht payments are we?
Mother and parenting forums also blasted Kerr saying that she should more carefully choose her words. Mary Fischer who writes for TheStir said that “women just need to respect each other.”
Give me a break. Isn’t the health of babies a lot more important than, sniff, mommy’s feelings (does anyone have a hankie?).
The reality of the situation is that epidural babies are drugged and if a woman can possibly avoid these medications (of course, sometimes she cannot), it is indeed giving her baby a better start in life. At the very least, a natural birth gives baby and Mom a better shot at a successful breastfeeding relationship with a normal latch and suckle more likely from the start.
Good for you, Miranda, for sticking to your guns and showing once again that a supermodel isn’t necessarily just a pretty face and can be a force to be reckoned with in this age of false and misleading health propaganda from those who are supposed to “know” the most!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Source: Miranda Kerr’s Anti-Epidural Comments Incite Backlash
Great article – all the more reason people should explore hypnosis for childbirth. A former co-worker of mine chose to use it for the birth of her second son and while she was fully awake and alert throughout the the experience, she didn’t need an epidural or any medication. She only felt the sensation of pressure in the pelvis and very little pain. She told me every woman should use hypnosis.
I’m grateful to see celebrity parents speaking out about these topics with courage, as more of this needs to happen since sadly, so many people base their decisions on what they read in the media. It’s true that there are many medical professionals who care and who want to do the best they can for their patients, but unfortunately, many of them simply don’t understand about nutrition or inform patients of the side effects of the drugs they administer. As Sarah says, the majority are towing the line of conventional recommendations for what to do before, during, and after pregnancy, and child birth as well.
Had epidurals with both of my sons (both induced, “overdue”) – both were born with very low blood sugar levels. Anyone know if there is any correlation?
I also like Miranda Kerr. 🙂
that could be because they cut cord as soon as they come out. should leave attached till blood goes in kid. cord will stop pulsing. many are yellow too from not getting there blood. H wants that blood to DNA your kid for public records you don’t know about and they also SELL the whole cord and placenta to either science or beauty company’s. it’s in some creams and such that people buy!
Megan – you are wrong on almost everything you said.
1. Having cord blood run in until the cord stops pulsing has NOTHING to do with glucose levels. While it is generally good for the baby, it does not affect glucose. Common things that cause neonatal hypoglycemia are maternal diabetes, babies that were IUGR/are now SGA, infection/sepsis and preterm delivery. There are other less common things as well.
2. Babies are not “yellow” because they don’t get the cord blood. They jaundice immediately after birth is generally physiologic due to developmental changes in the newborn. There is obviously a more indepth explanation. Post a follow-up if you’re interested, and I’d be happy to provide it.
3. Hospitals don’t sell the cord and placenta. Many times it goes down to the pathology departments so that it can be analyzed for changes that may affect the baby or explain something that’s going on with the baby. If it doesn’t go to pathology, it’s thrown away as medical waste… unless the mom wants to save it and eat it or plant it, etc.
I had an epidural with one of my dds,and she was incredibly lethargic when she was born. They had trouble resuscitating her. It truly scared me. I never had one after that except for one birth when I had an (unnecessary) C-sect (of course I didn’t know that at the time). Now I feel I have a much better education and I will always choose the more natural route whenever I can. Oh, and I LOVE my coconut oil, too!
Epidurals certainly have their place, but it should be universally realized that they CAN have negative effects on mother and baby. Very, very few women seem to realize this. Kerr is not condemning anyone here – merely stating that she wants to aim for what is best for her baby in an ideal situation…and she should be applauded!
I agree with everything in this article except for two statements. My husband and I eat coconut oil every day and also preach natural, unmedicated births that are NEVER induced for any reason other than extreme medical necessity. We are also in staunch opposition to c-sections unless a true, dire emergency. As a seasoned OB nurse, natural childbirth educator, and the wife of an OBGYN, we can’t, and could never afford a Yacht or a vacation home. Nor does my husband accept (or has ever been offered) kickbacks from any drug companies (that’s illegal…and they are not even allowed to give the office pens anymore). We live in a tiny house in a poor neighborhood, and it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to move out anytime soon, even though we are surrounded by crime and have been robbed twice. I myself, was ignorant about how much of your own money goes into becoming a health provider before marrying. However, my husband knew what he was getting into and did so anyway. Want to know why? It’s his calling. My husband’s liability insurance (one of the highest out there), his student loans, and poor reimbursement in our very urban, medicaid dependent area actually leaves little left over. My husband and I realize that we are the exception to the current, medical model when it comes to OB care, but please let’s make your newsletters a little more believable and get real about how much they are reimbursed. The yacht and vacation jab was just a little insulting. Not all healthcare providers are out there to do harm, take your money and run away with an evil laugh. We do this job because we love it, not for the money. If we wanted money, we would have HAD to gone into another area of medicine. OB is NOT a high paying area, and because of all the liability involved, one of the riskiest. Epidurals? NO. Coconut oil? YES! Stereotyping? Please, for the love of kefir and kombucha let’s leave that for someone else’s page that isn’t as cool as The Healthy Home Economist’s. Big let-down for one of your BIGGEST fans.
As respectable as your passion is , your situation is still in the minority as are most medical or law professionals that work in and with people in lower income bracket. We can all become stereotyped to one degree or another. Coming from FL a state where c-section rate is 50% its hard to believe that drugs and interventions , as well as, convenience does not play a huge roll in this. Epidurals and petocin do interfere with birth and the baby period. The point is,like most things in our culture, what becomes a medical advancement for emergencies ends up the next convenience tool hiding the side affects and the dangers and highlighting all the so called benefits. And I have no doubt you and your husband do the job for a calling but a large majority do it for a very fat paycheck and when as a patient in a low income bracket , like myself, asks these questions, the majority of o.b’s are not open and supportive and like minded and treat you as if you are off your rocker and drinking too much kombucha for being concerned or wanting natural methods. And although stereotypical, that has been mine and the natural birthseekers along with mainstream experience.
I couldn’t have expressed those sentiments better myself. The OBs that I’ve seen more recently have had to do fundraisers just to cover increases in their malpractice insurance. They are most definitely not in it for the money, they are in it for the moms and babies. When generalizations are made like the ones made in this post, it only divides us and does nothing towards bringing us all together, even when we begin like-minded on the subject to begin with. While I agree with roughly 95% of what Sarah says, I am not able to implement everything I believe to be best for my family’s health, therefore the condescending tone that seems to accompany too many of the posts lately has brought me to the point where I need to unsubscribe from the feed. Sarah, I really hope that you consider comments like ours, because you have a great message that is needed in our society. I would hate for people to be turned off by your tone when, I believe, your intentions are good. Thanks for all that you’ve taught me. You’ve helped change the way my family looks at health. God bless you!
I am encouraged to hear that there are OB’s out there who are NOT in it for the money and the perks (my brother in law is a regional supervisor for a pharmaceutical company and I KNOW for a fact that most dr.’s DO accept “gifts”, but I’m glad to know that yours doesn’t:). It is very difficult for me to believe, however, that this is true of most or even many dr’s. The cesarean rate in Miami is over 50% and one hospital here has an over 70% rate, which they seem to be very proud of. I am not naive enough to believe that these rates have anything to do with safety or that “Miami has a lot of high risk pregnancies” as I’ve read in articles. Even though the rates here are the highest in the country, I find that most people I know, all over the country, do have c-sections and it’s frustrating as heck! Whenever a friend or acquaintance go into labor, I spend hours in prayer that the doctors will leave the poor girl alone and allow her to do what God intended in childbirth. Even the one’s that do end up birthing vaginally do so with tons of interventions that are completely unnecessary. Sarah, I would love for you to do some research on the use of cytotech/ misoprostol. A high percentage of women I know were induced with this medicine…mind you, the manufacturer does not only not endorse the use of this medicine for laboring but they actually warn AGAINST it, yet it’s used all over the country for this purpose. I was at a labor where I ASKED the supposed Midwife (in a hospital setting) if what they were using was cytotech and she looked straight at me and said, “oh no, this is miso”…at the time, I was unaware that “miso” is short for misoprostol which is the actual generic name of the medication. By the way, this drug, as per the manufacturer is to be used ONLY “to prevent ulcers in people who take certain arthritis or pain medicines, including aspirin, that can cause ulcers.” Needless to say, my daughter had a vbac at home.
well said. as a medical care provider, that was insulting.
alas, Kimberly Moore and her hubby (along with my beloved family doctor) are in the vast minority. bec of my health problems and my daughters’ health problems, i have a LOT of experience in the receiving end of the medical profession.
put it this way: i ended up in hospital with cholecystitis. i was in for ten days hooked up to four different IV bags, painkillers, massive antibiotics, gravol, etc. the surgeon told me my gallbladder was “chock full” of stones, it HAD to come out *immediately*. but not right now – here’s a prescription for more antibiotics, come by the office in ten days to schedule the procedure.
in the waiting room, there were fourteen women waiting along with me – ALL of us there to have our gallbladders removed. that gave me pause and when the receptionist said there’d be another half-hour to an hour (i was already an hour past my scheduled appt), i said i’d call back to rebook and left.
my bf at the time talked me into giving it another go so i went again and booked the surgery – for a month down the road bec the doctor was going on vacation at the end of the week. then the doctors went on strike, so my surgery was postponed again. the strike ended and my surgery was rebooked…. then they called me to rebook it again because the doctor was going to a conference in phoenix, arizona, for two weeks.
i told them to stick it.
Thank you for what you and your husband do, it is people like you who make a real difference in this world. I hope that you manage to get your student loans paid off and pray that your community becomes safe and stress free to live in.
I believe that all stereotypes, generalizations and assumptions have a negative impact on this world. Doctors are no exception to that. I do not believe we should ever speak for another human being as to why they do what they do, especially something that can be as demanding as a doctor’s job. It is a different matter entirely if someone is blatant about just wanting to get rich, but I have a little more faith in humanity than believing that every single doctor is out to get me.
My son was the best examples of a “drugged baby”. Induction at term for convenience and epidural (b/c I didn’t know any better then) resulted in a very very sleepy baby who was not one bit interested in my milk. Also, he was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2.5. Coincidence or consequence? Only God knows. I got smarter and educated with my 2nd babe.
interesting: all three of mine were induced (number one, now 26, after 3 days of labour and no progression; number two, now 23, bec at 36wks she was already over 8lbs; and number three at 39wks bec she bec non-responsive).
number one was born with an apgar of 6 – she was blue, not breathing, needed a pretty good smack to get her going, and her heart rate was poor; her second was 8. once she was up and running, though, she was *active*. she has asperger’s.
number two, i don’t know – they rushed her away and i didn’t see her for seven hours.
number three, now 5, well she was dazed and confused, weak, and breastfeeding was HELL. i mean HELL. she couldn’t nurse longer than about 30 seconds before she conked out. at 24hrs, she went from 7lb 10 to 6lb 4 and when i looked at her compared to her contemporaries, i said to the nurse “if this was a kitten in one of my cat’s litters, it would be dead in about 48hrs.” she’s okay, now, though – i had to get extreme with the breastfeeding (ever try nursing every ten minutes around the clock and, a few days later, every 20min around the clock with a nipple cracked in three pieces?) but she was diagnosed in june with ASD.
Kamila, are you suggesting that an epidural can cause Autism? When will this paranoia end? There is no basis for such a statement.
– Mother of a boy on the Autism spectrum
I rarely respond to controversial subjects but as a mother of 4 who had 3 epidurals and aweful labor and complications with them and then 1, my last, and completely natural labor at a birthing center, my experience trumps “medical facts”of which you are seemingly refering to a western experience and medicinal experience which is quite small compared to the majority of the world which practice natural methods and midwifery options for birthing assistance. It really depends on your opinion of what affects a baby? the medical, pharmaceutical and FDA that regulates all of our food, personal care products and cleaning products all affect our babies and it’s proven in their umbellical cord fluid. Sometimes the real facts are hidden. But we are all entitled to our opinion absolutely!
My first (when I had an epidural) was incredibly lethargic and I was determined to not have that happen again. My second was born naturally, but with (surprise) major medical issues. She barely made it and I firmly believe that had she been lethargic like her sister, she would have died. Epidurals, along with other interventions can be wonderful tools in a birth, but there are risks and women need to know that.
As a survivor of childhood abuse my body reacts to pain in a way I cannot control, yet. What gave my DD a vaginal birth was an epidural even though I didn’t want it, it was the best for us. Humbled me quite a bit too 😀