Sunday, August 23, 2009
All these blogs in one night!
All the blogs before this one are just some old Facebook notes that got a lot of attention. Some of the information in them might be dated, but they're all pretty good reflections of who I am. A little bit so you can get to know me before I start adding some more. So, please read and comment away. Don't be too mean, though. I know most people disagree with me on every point that it is possible to disagree.
Oil Conservation
Everybody is always talking about driving less to conserve oil, which is great...but really hard. Especially if you live in a rural area where most things are not within walking distance. But there is a way to cut down your oil consumption without altering the way you drive. EAT LOCALLY GROWN FOOD. Most of the food you eat has travelled several thousands of miles to get to you. Sometimes even across oceans. It was grown on huge industrial farms and harvested with big combines. Think about it. Local food is also usually cheaper because there aren't huge gas bills for it. You support local economy. And it tastes better because it's fresher. The other day, I went to a local produce stand and got 2 huge tomatoes, 2 huge onions, 9 peaches, and 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes for ten bucks! Can you imagine what that would have cost at Wal-Mart? Probably twice that, at least. If everyone ate one locally grown meal a week, the US would save 1.1 million barrells of oil a week. (www.silverbrookdartmouth.com/csa.html) That's a lot of oil. It's also potentially better for the environment than eating organic. The label 'organic' means less and less right now. Industrial farms have had the rules for becoming organic relaxed and it's also very expensive to become organically certified. Many local farmers simply cannot afford, but are farming that way without a label. And if you eat local, you can always talk to the farmers and ask them about their growing practices. Anyway, give a try. Look around and see what you can find out there. Maybe truly free range chickens and eggs. Or grass fed beef. Maybe a local dairy with reusable glass bottles. Maybe local apple or peach orchards. You won't know what's out there until you look. We live in the South. We have a long growing season. It's not so hard down here. Let me know if you're taking the challenge. If I tagged you, it's just because I thought you might be interested. If I didn't tag you, let me know anyway. Oh, and read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver for more information.
Voting
With recent local elections, the upcoming national election and all the hooplah surrounding it, the question on everyone's mind right now is "Who are you voting for?"
For me, the answer is quite simple in my mind "No one." Most people are shocked and appalled when they hear this. They think I'm one of the reasons "why our country is in the shape it's in." They simply assume I'm apathetic. That is far from the truth. I care very much. Other people who know me a little better are surprised. I have been very outspoken about my political beliefs in the past and the candidates I have supported. They wonder what has gotten into me.
The answer to why I don't vote is more complicated than my answer to who I'll be voting for. I don't vote because I'm a Christian. I believe that God is sovereign and His word says that He chooses authorities. So, on one hand I don't believe I need to. If the creator of the universe says that He is in charge; I believe Him. I don't think He needs my help.
Now, for the other side of the coin. Even if I believed voting was necessary, I could not vote for one of the two major party candidates. I cannot support any candidate with such unholy values. One candidate supports abortion. Another supports a war. Is there really a difference? Innocent lives are lost in both. Are Iraqi children less valuable than American children? As a Christian, I also cannot support war because as a Christian I could not fight in a war; I would either have to a) take up arms against my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ or b)take up arms against a lost person and be the person to send them to their eternal damnation. If I won't do it, I'm not going to ask someone to do it for me.
There are other issues that they support that I certainly cannot, but these are the main two.
I used to vote third party. I fluctuated between the libertarian party and the constitution party. As I said earlier, though, I don't think God needs my help.
So, if I don't vote, what do I do? I pray. I pray for God to have His will in the elections. And I believe He does. His word says so. And I pray for the candidates.
There's my 2 cents.
For me, the answer is quite simple in my mind "No one." Most people are shocked and appalled when they hear this. They think I'm one of the reasons "why our country is in the shape it's in." They simply assume I'm apathetic. That is far from the truth. I care very much. Other people who know me a little better are surprised. I have been very outspoken about my political beliefs in the past and the candidates I have supported. They wonder what has gotten into me.
The answer to why I don't vote is more complicated than my answer to who I'll be voting for. I don't vote because I'm a Christian. I believe that God is sovereign and His word says that He chooses authorities. So, on one hand I don't believe I need to. If the creator of the universe says that He is in charge; I believe Him. I don't think He needs my help.
Now, for the other side of the coin. Even if I believed voting was necessary, I could not vote for one of the two major party candidates. I cannot support any candidate with such unholy values. One candidate supports abortion. Another supports a war. Is there really a difference? Innocent lives are lost in both. Are Iraqi children less valuable than American children? As a Christian, I also cannot support war because as a Christian I could not fight in a war; I would either have to a) take up arms against my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ or b)take up arms against a lost person and be the person to send them to their eternal damnation. If I won't do it, I'm not going to ask someone to do it for me.
There are other issues that they support that I certainly cannot, but these are the main two.
I used to vote third party. I fluctuated between the libertarian party and the constitution party. As I said earlier, though, I don't think God needs my help.
So, if I don't vote, what do I do? I pray. I pray for God to have His will in the elections. And I believe He does. His word says so. And I pray for the candidates.
There's my 2 cents.
Vaccines
So, I have been reading about vaccines lately. Doing quite a bit of it, actually. I'm trying to figure out if I want to not vax this baby at all or do a selective/delayed vaccine schedule. So, here is a good bit of what I've found so far:
The Louisiana vaccination schedule recommends a vaccine for Hepatitus B at birth. Birth, people. This is a disease that is sexually transmitted or transmitted through IV drug use. I really don't think my infant is at risk for contracting this disease. The risks of the vaccine include fever and redness and swelling at site of injection. It has also recently been linked to Multiple Sclerosis, autism and death. It contains thimerserol and aluminum hydroxide. I don't want that stuff in my kid. The shot should be repeated at 2 and 6 months of age.
At 2 months of age, the list is longer. It is recommended to shoot your kid up with the DTaP (diptheria, tetanis, pertussis), Hib (haemophilus influenza type B), IPV (inactivated polio virus), HBV (hep B virus) PCV7 (seven valent pneumoccocal conjugate), and Rota (rotavirus) shots. These are all repeated at 4 months, except for hep B. Let's look into them.
DTaP is the most controversial of the shots (in the information I have found). It "protects" against the most deadly of things, but also carries the highest risks for side effects. I don't have stats now, and probably won't update, since these are just my ramblings. It is mostly the Pertussis (or whooping cough) that is the trouble. They've changed the formula sometime in the last decade or so, and it's not as bad as it was, but it still carries a significant risk of soreness, swelling, fever, unusual high pitched cry (indicating brain damage), limpness and pallor, convulsions, severe and/or permanent brain damage, anaphylactic shock, residual seizure disorder, and death. The thing is, even when the numbers look small with these things, it's YOUR kid. When your kid is the 1 in whatever, suddenly the statistics for how small the chances were don't matter anymore. They became 100%!
Now, whooping cough isn't something to mess around with. It can be deadly, especially in infant under 1 year of age. However, the vaccine doesn't actually protect you from whooping cough... it just takes the whoop out of the cough, so you're just dealing with what you think is a normal cold. Also, tons of people who have been vaxed have outbreaks with it.
Tetanus and Diptheria can be deadly, too, but can pretty much be avoided by good hygeine. You know, wash your foot with soap and warm water when you step on a rusty nail.
The other shots have similar risks, they are just somewhat smaller. They all contain heavy metals and animal proteins. The IPV shot is safer than the OPV vaccine (which is taken orally... hence the O) because it is dead polio vs. live polio. However, it is not as effective. When you take the OPV, you shed polio virus for up to 60 days, though, putting people whose vaxes have "expired" at risk. IPV doesn't do that. Polio sounds really scary, but something like 90% of people who come into contact w/ it develop immunity w/o even getting sick, especially if they are in good health. The crippling even goes away for some people who get it. I don't know much about the PCV7 and the Rota vaccines right now. Still looking.
At 6 months, the schedule is the same again, except add back in the Hep B shot and also flu shot.
Then you're done until 12-15 months old, when they want you to get more DTaP, Hib, and PCV7 as well as MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) Varicella (chicken pox) and HAV (Hep A). I haven't read up on Hep A yet, still working on that one, too. (I do know that it is made by using human diploid cells... aka grown in aborted fetus cells) But I'll rant about MMR and Varicella. First of all, why are we even promoting vaccinations against common childhood ailments? When exposed to these naturally, your body builds up natural immunity lasting a lifetime. Because these shots are an imitation of that, the immunity wears off. All of these are basically little more than an annoyance when encountered in childhood, but can be deadly when encountered in adulthood, or even the teen years. Vaccinating young children against them doesn't make sense. And now, if I want my child to develop natural immunity to these, I have to look for someone who has contracted them and deliberately expose my child. Also, the Rubella component of MMR and the Varicella are grown using human diploid cells as well. I'm morally opposed to those shots.
18-23 months is a HAV booster.
And then you're through until 4 yrs old when you get a booster for DTaP, IPV, MMR and Varicella.
Then there are a few more at 11-12 years.
You may have noticed a heavy load at 2, 4 and 6 months. Is it a coincidence that SIDs rates are highest at these ages? Also, since vaccinations have become more common so have things like ADD and ADHD and autism. I read once that the link btwn autism and vaccines has to do with the use of tylenol combined with the vaccines. I don't know. I haven't looked into it a whole lot. I also don't want to discount the fact that ADD and ADHD rises have also coincided with the use of more processed foods (preservatives and artificial food colorings especially) and also video games and TV watching. We stay away from those things, too, in the Hogan house (as much as we can, anyway).
There are pros and cons to both sides of the fence. Vaccines can be deadly... so can disease. Which risk are you more willing to take?
This was not meant to be scientific. It is just my ramblings and some of my information could be wrong. You want sources? Do your own research.
Peace.
The Louisiana vaccination schedule recommends a vaccine for Hepatitus B at birth. Birth, people. This is a disease that is sexually transmitted or transmitted through IV drug use. I really don't think my infant is at risk for contracting this disease. The risks of the vaccine include fever and redness and swelling at site of injection. It has also recently been linked to Multiple Sclerosis, autism and death. It contains thimerserol and aluminum hydroxide. I don't want that stuff in my kid. The shot should be repeated at 2 and 6 months of age.
At 2 months of age, the list is longer. It is recommended to shoot your kid up with the DTaP (diptheria, tetanis, pertussis), Hib (haemophilus influenza type B), IPV (inactivated polio virus), HBV (hep B virus) PCV7 (seven valent pneumoccocal conjugate), and Rota (rotavirus) shots. These are all repeated at 4 months, except for hep B. Let's look into them.
DTaP is the most controversial of the shots (in the information I have found). It "protects" against the most deadly of things, but also carries the highest risks for side effects. I don't have stats now, and probably won't update, since these are just my ramblings. It is mostly the Pertussis (or whooping cough) that is the trouble. They've changed the formula sometime in the last decade or so, and it's not as bad as it was, but it still carries a significant risk of soreness, swelling, fever, unusual high pitched cry (indicating brain damage), limpness and pallor, convulsions, severe and/or permanent brain damage, anaphylactic shock, residual seizure disorder, and death. The thing is, even when the numbers look small with these things, it's YOUR kid. When your kid is the 1 in whatever, suddenly the statistics for how small the chances were don't matter anymore. They became 100%!
Now, whooping cough isn't something to mess around with. It can be deadly, especially in infant under 1 year of age. However, the vaccine doesn't actually protect you from whooping cough... it just takes the whoop out of the cough, so you're just dealing with what you think is a normal cold. Also, tons of people who have been vaxed have outbreaks with it.
Tetanus and Diptheria can be deadly, too, but can pretty much be avoided by good hygeine. You know, wash your foot with soap and warm water when you step on a rusty nail.
The other shots have similar risks, they are just somewhat smaller. They all contain heavy metals and animal proteins. The IPV shot is safer than the OPV vaccine (which is taken orally... hence the O) because it is dead polio vs. live polio. However, it is not as effective. When you take the OPV, you shed polio virus for up to 60 days, though, putting people whose vaxes have "expired" at risk. IPV doesn't do that. Polio sounds really scary, but something like 90% of people who come into contact w/ it develop immunity w/o even getting sick, especially if they are in good health. The crippling even goes away for some people who get it. I don't know much about the PCV7 and the Rota vaccines right now. Still looking.
At 6 months, the schedule is the same again, except add back in the Hep B shot and also flu shot.
Then you're done until 12-15 months old, when they want you to get more DTaP, Hib, and PCV7 as well as MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) Varicella (chicken pox) and HAV (Hep A). I haven't read up on Hep A yet, still working on that one, too. (I do know that it is made by using human diploid cells... aka grown in aborted fetus cells) But I'll rant about MMR and Varicella. First of all, why are we even promoting vaccinations against common childhood ailments? When exposed to these naturally, your body builds up natural immunity lasting a lifetime. Because these shots are an imitation of that, the immunity wears off. All of these are basically little more than an annoyance when encountered in childhood, but can be deadly when encountered in adulthood, or even the teen years. Vaccinating young children against them doesn't make sense. And now, if I want my child to develop natural immunity to these, I have to look for someone who has contracted them and deliberately expose my child. Also, the Rubella component of MMR and the Varicella are grown using human diploid cells as well. I'm morally opposed to those shots.
18-23 months is a HAV booster.
And then you're through until 4 yrs old when you get a booster for DTaP, IPV, MMR and Varicella.
Then there are a few more at 11-12 years.
You may have noticed a heavy load at 2, 4 and 6 months. Is it a coincidence that SIDs rates are highest at these ages? Also, since vaccinations have become more common so have things like ADD and ADHD and autism. I read once that the link btwn autism and vaccines has to do with the use of tylenol combined with the vaccines. I don't know. I haven't looked into it a whole lot. I also don't want to discount the fact that ADD and ADHD rises have also coincided with the use of more processed foods (preservatives and artificial food colorings especially) and also video games and TV watching. We stay away from those things, too, in the Hogan house (as much as we can, anyway).
There are pros and cons to both sides of the fence. Vaccines can be deadly... so can disease. Which risk are you more willing to take?
This was not meant to be scientific. It is just my ramblings and some of my information could be wrong. You want sources? Do your own research.
Peace.
Elizabeth's Birth Story
On March 30, I walked 10 miles. The riverwalk here is a 2 mile round trip, so late that morning Vershal and I walked it twice, then came home for lunch. Later that night, Calley and I walked it twice more, then went home and ate supper. After that we walked it once more. 10 miles was my goal because that's what I did with Micah. It was so hard and I was tired. I was having some contractions when I went to bed that night, but nothing I couldn't sleep through. I was having one ever time I woke up to pee. The last time I woke up was at about 3:45. I laid in bed until about 4:30 and couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up. I got in the bath to have something to do, but Micah woke up about that time and wanted in. I made him go lay down in bed with Vershal and I got out and got in the bed with them. When Micah went to sleep, I got back up and started watching Iron Man, from the part where I fell asleep the night before. At some point I asked Vershal to get up with me to put pressure on my back when I was having a contraction. Micah got up pretty soon after the movie went off and just wanted to crawl all over me. I guess he could tell something was up. He just wanted to sit in my lap and cry... and he still really wanted to get in the bathtub with me. So we took a bath. And we called Mom and asked her to come get Micah. I was still in the tub when she came and got him. I stayed there for a while, and then got out for a while. Then got back in. The whole time I was thinking "Is this the intense pain that sends people to the hospital for an epidural?" I just kept thinking this is not bad enough to make me want to go to the hospital. It hurt, but I could handle it. At one point, I thought if it got any much worse I wouldn't be able to handle it and I got back in the tub and the contractions slowed down to about 6 minutes apart. I was able to sleep between them and get some much needed rest. Jackie and Jenny showed up a few minutes later and I woke up good. I even felt really good between contractions for a few minutes and wanted to talk. Calley came a few minutes after that. Then they started coming really fast, but they were also really short and I was confused. I didn't know what was going on. I was thinking "Well, this is starting to get hard again." Then I had my first pushing contraction and my water broke with it. Then I understood why everyone wanted epidurals. I said I wanted one at that point and was told they wouldn't give me one at that point. Well, I knew that and I really didn't want one. I just wanted more time. The pushing really took me by surprise. There was no moving me at that point. If someone had suggested getting out of the tub at that point, I would have punched them as soon as I was able... which would have been today. I'm not sure how long I pushed for, but I think I only had about 6 or 7 pushing contractions before she was born. She came out in one push. Her cord was fairly short, so I had a little trouble moving. I had wanted to wait until the placenta was born to cut it, but I felt like I needed to walk around some. We cut the cord after about an hour of waiting and nursing (it was just long enough to nurse). The cord was limp and white, so we cut it without a clamp. There was some slight bleeding, but nothing scary. We tied it off with some twill anyway. (Or rather, Vershal and Jenny did). I got up and walked around some and the placenta came on out. Then I wanted people to come over. I just wanted that last part out of the way before people came over to see her.
The hospital called a few hours later to check if I was coming in for my non stress test. I told them that I would, but I had just had the baby, so I thought I'd stay home. They didn't believe me at first, but then they said "Well, congratulations... you are not a girl... you are a woman." They called my doctor for me and he said I could go in for a check-up if I wanted to, but if I felt okay then I probably was okay. I felt great so decided to stay home. We talked to the pediatrician and they said we needed to go to the hospital for the newborn screenings, that they couldn't do them at their office, so we went today.
The hospital called a few hours later to check if I was coming in for my non stress test. I told them that I would, but I had just had the baby, so I thought I'd stay home. They didn't believe me at first, but then they said "Well, congratulations... you are not a girl... you are a woman." They called my doctor for me and he said I could go in for a check-up if I wanted to, but if I felt okay then I probably was okay. I felt great so decided to stay home. We talked to the pediatrician and they said we needed to go to the hospital for the newborn screenings, that they couldn't do them at their office, so we went today.
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