Dr. Weeks’ Comment: Ask your doctor one simple question: Would he or she would settle for the standard of care if his or her loved one was sick? The standard of care is not scientific – it is consensus medicine determined by “expert” members of medical societies (Endocrinology, Cardiology, Pediatrics etc) all of whom are bought and paid for by Biopharma and Big Insurance. (Remember how disgracefully slow the Am. Acad. of Pediatrics was to endorse breast milk because Nestle was pitching formula? This is not an exception.) The standard of care is what is most lucrative and not what is scientifically superior. From personal experience, I can report that the experts learn first from Big Insurance what will be reimbursed in the year to come and then the experts declare what they consider appropriate therapies (based upon what will be reimbursed and not what is superior). This is not news. But the tragedies escalate.
BEWARE of “Standard of Care”
By Laura Hayes
Being the mother of vaccine-injured children teaches you many important lessons, with perhaps the main lesson being to question everything, research thoroughly, and make your own decisions. Listen to and trust your own maternal instincts. Don’t be coerced, harassed, or forced into doing anything you are not completely comfortable with or don’t want. Learn to speak up and stand your ground firmly…your children are counting on you…and you will be the one to live with the consequences for each and every parenting decision you make. So make the time to take the time to decide carefully, very carefully.
Rule #1: Question EVERYTHING
Rule #2: Research THOROUGHLY (including, and especially, from non-industry and non-governmental sources…seek sources that don’t profit from that which you are researching)
Rule #3: Make your OWN decisions, don’t be swayed by someone just because they are wearing a white coat (as a matter of fact, learn to be extra leery of those in white coats)
Let’s begin with prenatal “standard of care” procedures that need to be questioned, researched, and carefully considered prior to accepting:
- Ultrasounds are now performed on virtually every pregnant woman in the U.S. Remembering back to my first pregnancy, my doctor told me I had ovarian cysts after my first ultrasound, and he began ordering weekly (!) ultrasounds for me. At the time, my insurance did not cover ultrasounds (they were $800 a pop, mind you). When I finally disclosed this to the receptionist, wondering how many more of these expensive procedures I would need, she was shocked that I’d been paying out of pocket the whole time. She looked uncomfortable when I told her that. Quite magically, the next week, my cysts were declared gone, no more ultrasounds for cysts needed! I have since come to find out that the year that occurred was the year they were testing new ultrasound machines that were many times “stronger”. Were my baby and I experimental test subjects, without knowing, and without informed consent? I do not know, but I most certainly wonder. Dr. Kelly Brogan, among others, has written about the universal use of ultrasound during pregnancy, so perhaps begin your research here.
- Vaccines are now recommended by the CDC for pregnant women, including the Tdap and influenza vaccines (that’s a total of 4 vaccines). Those of you who have read previous articles of mine know that no safety, efficacy, or necessity claims can be made for any vaccine, much less the myriad combinations in which they are haphazardly given, because the needed studies to make such claims have never been done. The same goes for vaccines given during pregnancy. Barbara Loe Fisher of NVIC has written an excellent article regarding the lack of safety data that exist despite the CDC recommending vaccines for pregnant women. Reading her article is an excellent place to begin one’s research.
- Gestational diabetes screening includes drinking a nasty beverage that includes genetically-modified ingredients, chemicals, food dyes, and other ingredients that have no business inside the human body, much less inside a developing fetus. Does every woman need to be screened for GD? Are there other ways to screen without the use of a toxic beverage being consumed by both mom and fetus? I remember drinking that foul-tasting beverage 3 times over, once during each pregnancy, and thinking, this can’t possibly be good for me or my baby. Correct I was. A quick Google search will lead you to many helpful articles, but here is one to get you started.
Moving on to decisions expectant parents will need to make:
- Home birth, birthing center, or hospital…research and consider all of your options carefully. Remember that hospitals are not the safe havens you might envision them to be. Hospital errors are now the third leading cause of death in America. Read about that fact here.
- Midwife, doula, doctor, combination thereof, or none of the above…again, research and consider all of your options carefully. Interview potential candidates until you find one who shares your philosophies about pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care.
- Catheterization during labor and delivery. This can lead to difficulty urinating after the catheter is removed, bladder and kidney infections, subsequent prescriptions for antibiotics due to infections, pain and discomfort for the mother when post-catheterization infection occurs, exposure to antibiotics for baby if mom is breastfeeding…and all for an unnecessary birthing intervention. See this informative article to learn more. I know of instances where this invasive medical procedure was recommended for mothers during non-problematic labors…one accepted, one declined. The one who accepted went on to have a serious kidney infection which lasted for many weeks, requiring multiple rounds of antibiotics, while she was breastfeeding.
- Electronic fetal monitoring will almost certainly be used at the hospital, unless you say no. This is an ultrasound procedure, which requires that the laboring mother be lying down confined to a bed. As with prenatal ultrasounds, safety, necessity, and potential drawbacks need to be considered. Here is an article which includes information that electronic fetal monitoring is excruciatingly loud for your baby in utero (that would be the same for prenatal ultrasounds, too).
- The use of pitocin at any point, including to deliver the placenta. Research this ahead of time. Decide whether or not that is a drug you will accept, and if so, under what circumstances.
- Delayed clamping of the umbilical cord to allow the full and complete transfer of blood and oxygen from mother to child versus more immediate clamping as is often done in hospitals (for convenience?). The timing of clamping is very important, so do your research. You can begin here. To ensure your decision is adhered to, alert not only the person who will be delivering your baby, but also the person who will be with you for support during childbirth, so that person can make certain that your instructions are followed.
- Painful injections and/or procedures of any sort for your newborn…is this how you want to welcome your baby into the world? See the next few bullet points for some specific ones that are now considered “standard of care” and routine for all…unless the parent says otherwise.
- The vitamin K shot is routinely given to all newborns in the U.S., and in the state of NY, it is mandatory, with no opt out. You can do a Google search titled “dangers of the vitamin K shot” for numerous articles on the subject, including this one by Megan Heimer, a must read! Furthermore, at least one brand of the vitamin K shot includes aluminum, which is given at a time when the blood-brain barrier does not exist. Do you want aluminum in your baby’s brain, organs, blood, and body? Dr. Larry Pavlesky points out that the vitamin K shot includes castor oil, which can cross react with other proteins in tree nuts, peanuts, and seeds…leading to the increasingly-prevalent food allergies we are seeing in children today. Click here and scroll down to A Growing Epidemic: Food Allergies in America to also read what he says about vaccine ingredients causing the food allergies our children are now experiencing at an alarming rate.
- The hepatitis B vaccine is recommended to be given to all children at birth (can you hear me screaming?!). There is absolutely no valid or justifiable reason to give this to all newborns, This is one procedure you do not want to blindly allow for your newborn, and you can begin your research here and here. If you decide to birth your baby in a hospital, and you do not want this vaccine for your newborn, do not leave your baby unattended at any time during your hospital stay! Many parents have reported that their babies were vaccinated with this vaccine in the hospital against their clearly-stated directives when they were apart from their baby.
- Genetic screening of newborns via a heel prick and the squeezing out of blood. CA now mandates a newborn genetic screening test which tests for 80 various metabolic, endocrine, and hemoglobin diseases. Opting out in CA requires signing a form, NBS-TR (CDPH-4459), so if that is what you want to do, obtain and sign this form in advance, and have it with you at the hospital or birthing center. How accurate are the results and what will be done with those results? If the baby tests positive for one or more of these diseases, will the parents be required/forced to pursue specialists and treatments? Will they be monitored by the state? Will their child be removed from them by the state if they don’t comply with medical advice? On the Notice of Information and Privacy Practices from the California Department of Public Health it states, “You may request in writing that we restrict disclosure of your or your newborn’s information for health care treatment, payment and administrative purposes. We are not required to agree to your request.” (Bolding mine.) If you want to read some critically-important reasons why you might want to refuse genetic screening tests in the hospital (and instead consider doing specific ones through a private doctor if you want to rule anything out), read Twila Brase’s chapter “Genetic Information: Where Do We Go from Here?” in the excellent book Vaccine Epidemic. This RN’s chapter is only 5 pages long, but what an eye-opener!
- Circumcision…if you are considering this for your son, I recommend reading this articleby Dr. Mercola regarding the best/safest day to have this procedure performed.
- Antibiotic eye ointment, like the vitamin K shot and the Hepatitis B vaccine, is given routinely to all newborns in the U.S., and is mandatory in the state of NY. It is administered to prevent conjunctivitis resulting from a gonorrheal or Chlamydial infection in the mother, which can lead to blindness. Is this necessary/safe/wise to give to every newborn? Here is an article to begin your research.
- Supplemental formula is often recommended when no need exists (and even if a need exists, is manufactured formula the answer versus breast milk from another mother, or a homemade formula?). The foisting of unnecessary manufactured formula happened to me after the birth of my first child. Because she was on the small side, I was told to supplement her with soy formula after every feeding (the same formula of which they had cases they were giving away for free). This directive was given even though she was nursing well with no problems, even though I had no problem producing colostrum then breast milk, and even though there was no concern that she had a milk allergy or lactose intolerance. Needless to say, I could kick myself for doing as told. Fortunately, I didn’t supplement with formula for long, but once was one time too many. Breast milk and breastfeeding have far too many benefits to begin to list here, but breast milk is best for baby, and it is regular nursing by the newborn that stimulates the mother to make the proper amount of milk for her baby. Unnecessary supplementation disrupts that important feedback process and reduces critically-important nutrients to the baby, while introducing foreign, potentially harmful, ingredients to the baby.
- Nipple shields may be recommended if there are breastfeeding issues or difficulties. This article by La Leche League provides helpful information to address breastfeeding problems a new mother may encounter, thus hopefully avoiding the introduction of nipple shields, and the problems that might result from using them.
This is not an all-inclusive list. The point is there are now LOTS of practices and procedures expectant parents need to consider, research, and decide upon. Many/most will simply be performed as a matter of routine, without discussion or consent. Therefore, the burden is on the parents to decide in advance what they do and don’t want, and to take steps to ensure that their decisions are respected and followed accurately.
Do not be pressured into anything! If you arrive at a prenatal appointment and the nurse/doctor says it’s time for so-and-so, and you have not given that consideration yet, simply say, “Not today. I/we want to look into that first.” If pressure is applied for you to acquiesce to something you are not comfortable with, do not hesitate to leave. You can always return, or find another practitioner who does not coerce, harass, or force patients into accepting medical treatments and procedures.
Should you choose to have your baby in any type of facility, be it a birthing center or hospital, talk to other mothers who have given birth there to learn more about the climate and practices of the establishment. Don’t put these things off until the last minute. The best time to begin thinking about all of this is before you enter down the paths of pregnancy and parenthood. We live in a world of non-stop medical interventions, with an ever-growing list of “standard of care” procedures and treatments. Many of these violate natural and safe practices, not to mention common sense, and are done for convenience and profits, not for health and well-being.
I am not a doctor and don’t claim to be one. What I am is someone who has learned the very hard way that it is I who must take charge of my and my family’s health. I do not wish or choose to hand over that responsibility to someone wearing a white coat. I am concerned that doctors and nurses are not remembering to “First, do no harm.” I am concerned about who is supplying the information that doctors are being taught in medical school and nurses in nursing school. I am concerned that many doctors’ first allegiance is not to their patients. I am concerned about the many entities and forces unduly influencing our medical professionals. I am concerned that we have lost sight of how amazing, brilliant, and finely-tuned the human body is, especially when not poisoned with toxins and harmed by inflammatory agents, and when fed untainted, nutrient-dense foods (think “food as medicine”). I am concerned that we have been taught to disregard common sense, ignore our maternal instincts, forego prayer, and allow those with letters after their names to make decisions for us. We have been wrongly led to believe that our government has our best interests at heart, that doctors would never do anything that would harm their patients, that pharmaceutical products have been properly tested and are safe, and that hospitals are safe places to be.
What I have written here is not a list of directives for what you should or shouldn’t do. Rather, it is an exhortation which I hope will encourage all who read it to question everything, research thoroughly, and decide carefully. Your children need you to make the time to take the time to become your own expert and their protector.
Written by Laura Hayes, a CA mother who hopes that 2016 will be the year that: vaccine mandates are banned, individual and parental rights with regard to medical decision making will be fully restored (including vaccination decisions), and the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act will be repealed (this Act of Congress indemnified vaccine makers and those who administer vaccines from liability for vaccine-induced injuries and deaths). Laura is the mother of vaccine-injured children, one of whom is severely and permanently disabled, requiring round-the-clock care and supervision. She wishes she had been encouraged to question everything, research thoroughly, and carefully arrive at her own decisions.