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
Are people really so sensitive that they can’t read the opinion of someone that has chosen not to get an epidural without being offended? What could possibly be offensive about someone Choosing not to get an epidural for any reason? The most ridiculous comments come from any story that mentions epidural. There is a study that shows epidurals are good for babies? Wow…that proves a lot of medical research isn’t worth a hoot. I don’t need a study to know narcotics crossing the placenta can not possibly be beneficial for a baby. Doctors are out pushing drugs and driving down the life expectancy in this country.
I am getting sick of hearing the nonsense about bad effects of epidural on the babies. In fact, the opposite is true: epidural is beneficial for the newborn, and this is confirmed by research: http://www.allaboutepidural.com/2013/epidural-and-the-baby
Labor epidural does not interfere with the breastfeeding either. This statement – once again – is based on research: http://www.allaboutepidural.com/epidural-analgesia-and-breastfeeding
There is nothing wrong when someone wants to share their opinion regarding labor epidural. However, I hope that pregnant women will seek qualified opinion when deciding on their epidural, and will not base it on the opinion of the fashion model.
Thank you!
“Give me a break. Isn’t the health of babies a lot more important than, sniff, mommy’s feelings (does anyone have a hankie?).”
Are you kidding me?! Have you been through child birth?! I can tell you that at 32, after being in labour for over 24 hours, I decided the only way I could carry on was to have an epidural. My daughter was positioned ‘back to back’ which made the labour pains even worse.
I have been a fan of yours for a while now but I am seriously considering unsubscribing. I believe you are often right but you need to remember to get down off your high horse and pay everyone a little respect yourself.
I am so mad about this post. Yes, drug intervention in labour is not ideal and I was hoping for a ‘natural birth’ but both my daughter and I survived and I breast fed her for 6 months.
I have had epidural births and drug free births. I fully understand the risks of epidurals and hate having them.
I’m also aware that statistically epidural babies don’t breastfeeding as well.
I’ve been very fortunate and my epidural babies have breastfed extremely well and have been very strong and alert.
I think the important issue here is that women use evidence based care and that they are educated on birth statistics, not just anecdotal care.
My epidurals both came after home births turned hospital transfer.
I labor for days, and reach a point where I am too physically exhausted to cope anymore. I know if I had shorter labors I would do much better.
Know the facts, and make a decision based on facts!
“Give me a break. Isn’t the health of babies a lot more important than, sniff, mommy’s feelings (does anyone have a hankie?).”
I have been a huge fan of your site up until this sentence popped up. “Mommy’s feelings” are a huge cause of concern for those of us who have suffered incapacitating bouts of postpartum depression despite doing everything WAPF said we should. I have had 3 c-sections due to internal scarring caused by childhood trauma that would have made a vaginal delivery almost fatal. “Shame on me!” for even considering putting mild drugs into my system to preserve my own life, therefore ensuring that my husband would have a mother for all of his children. I had absolutely no problem breastfeeding all of them for 1.5 years when I chose to wean them. Shame on you for contributing to this foul and disgusting disrespect for women’s choices regarding their own bodies and well-being.
What’s wrong with having an expensive vacation homes and yacht payments?
I find it interesting that many of the people here who are acting as if an epidural is some kind of moral outrage are nevertheless okay with abortion. If you drug the baby you’re a sicko, if you kill it, you’re somehow an enlightened person exercising your right to choose.
Just saying, whenever you use phrases like “fat, unhealthy looking doctors with expensive vacation homes and yacht payments”, your posts start to sound way propoganda-ish. This is coming from a Weston Pricer. Not trying to discourage you, but personally, I’ve never met a fat doctor. I just asked my husband, and he’s never met a fat doctor either.
Just saying.