Squatting for that extra 30%

I went to my first Lamaze class this week with my large nation-wide HMO
and it was not nearly as bad as I had feared. The instructor didn't
talk down to us and was up front about the pain.

Todd Gastaldo will be very happy to hear that one of the first things
that we were taught was how to squat in order to open up the pelvis
that extra 30%. (This is even before we started Lamaze breathing.) The
instructor had a model of the bones in the pelvis to explain the effect
of squating. We were shown a three different ways to make the squat
more comfortable, and these were real squats (bum down, heels flat, and
hamstrings working).

Susan
"Lentil" due Oct 1, 2005.

in article , Benevolent
Prof at wrote on 8/12/05 2:43 PM:

I went to my first Lamaze class this week with my large nation-wide HMO
and it was not nearly as bad as I had feared. The instructor didn't
talk down to us and was up front about the pain.

Todd Gastaldo will be very happy to hear that one of the first things
that we were taught was how to squat in order to open up the pelvis
that extra 30%. (This is even before we started Lamaze breathing.) The
instructor had a model of the bones in the pelvis to explain the effect
of squating. We were shown a three different ways to make the squat
more comfortable, and these were real squats (bum down, heels flat, and
hamstrings working).

Susan
"Lentil" due Oct 1, 2005.


Susan,

It has LONG been taught that "squatting opens" - yet Lamaze used to (may
still?) promote semisitting (closing birth canal up to 30%).

The Bradley Method also taught "squatting opens" - even as it (too) taught
semisitting (closing birth canal up to 30%) - calling semisitting the
"Bradley Classic"...

My bet is that Lamaze and Bradley teachers are NOT explicitly teaching that
semisitting and dorsal CLOSE the "extra" up to 30% - NOT explicitly teaching
that obstetricians generally KEEP women semisitting or dorsal - keep their
birth canals closed the "extra" up to 30% - when babies get stuck and they
pull with hands, forceps and vacuums.

If your Lamaze teacher is explicitly stating that obstetricians are
routinely closing birth canals up to 30% and KEEPING birth canals closed the
"extra" up to 30% when babies get stuck - I will be pleased.

I hope s/he is teaching that some obstetricians and midwives let women "try"
alternative delivery positions - but move them back to semisitting or dorsal
(close their birth canals the "extra" up to 30%) for the actual delivery.

Bottomline, "squatting opens" has long been taught - right along with the
lie of omission that keeps women semisitting and dorsal, closing their birth
canals the "extra" up to 30%.

Todd

PS1 About the 30% - it's UP TO 30% - fortunately, not all women close their
birth canals 30% when semisitting or dorsal - though some likely close their
birth canals more (if they have narrow pubic arches).

PS2 I hope your Lamaze instructor emphasized that LOTS of delivery positions
- not just squatting - allow the birth canal to open the "extra" up to 30%.

"Todd Gastaldo" wrote in message
...
in article ,
Benevolent
Prof at wrote on 8/12/05 2:43 PM:

I went to my first Lamaze class this week with my large nation-wide HMO
and it was not nearly as bad as I had feared. The instructor didn't
talk down to us and was up front about the pain.

Todd Gastaldo will be very happy to hear that one of the first things
that we were taught was how to squat in order to open up the pelvis
that extra 30%. (This is even before we started Lamaze breathing.) The
instructor had a model of the bones in the pelvis to explain the effect
of squating. We were shown a three different ways to make the squat
more comfortable, and these were real squats (bum down, heels flat, and
hamstrings working).

Susan
"Lentil" due Oct 1, 2005.


Susan,

It has LONG been taught that "squatting opens" - yet Lamaze used to (may
still?) promote semisitting (closing birth canal up to 30%).

The Bradley Method also taught "squatting opens" - even as it (too) taught
semisitting (closing birth canal up to 30%) - calling semisitting the
"Bradley Classic"...

My bet is that Lamaze and Bradley teachers are NOT explicitly teaching
that
semisitting and dorsal CLOSE the "extra" up to 30% - NOT explicitly
teaching
that obstetricians generally KEEP women semisitting or dorsal - keep their
birth canals closed the "extra" up to 30% - when babies get stuck and they
pull with hands, forceps and vacuums.

If your Lamaze teacher is explicitly stating that obstetricians are
routinely closing birth canals up to 30% and KEEPING birth canals closed
the
"extra" up to 30% when babies get stuck - I will be pleased.

Can't you pretend to be even a little bit pleased?


--
Amy
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
http://www.freewebs.com/carlos2002/
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/ana%5Fj%5F2004/
My blog: http://spaces.msn.com/members/querer-hijo-querer-hija/

WHY BRADLEY AND LAMAZE SUCK (ALSO: SORRY SUSAN)

Bradley and Lamaze do many things right.

But they were (still are?) doing something very wrong.

See below.

in article , Mum of Two at
wrote on 8/13/05 3:00 AM:

"Todd Gastaldo" wrote in message
...
in article ,
Benevolent
Prof at wrote on 8/12/05 2:43 PM:

I went to my first Lamaze class this week with my large nation-wide HMO
and it was not nearly as bad as I had feared. The instructor didn't
talk down to us and was up front about the pain.

Todd Gastaldo will be very happy to hear that one of the first things
that we were taught was how to squat in order to open up the pelvis
that extra 30%. (This is even before we started Lamaze breathing.) The
instructor had a model of the bones in the pelvis to explain the effect
of squating. We were shown a three different ways to make the squat
more comfortable, and these were real squats (bum down, heels flat, and
hamstrings working).

Susan
"Lentil" due Oct 1, 2005.


Susan,

It has LONG been taught that "squatting opens" - yet Lamaze used to (may
still?) promote semisitting (closing birth canal up to 30%).

The Bradley Method also taught "squatting opens" - even as it (too) taught
semisitting (closing birth canal up to 30%) - calling semisitting the
"Bradley Classic"...

My bet is that Lamaze and Bradley teachers are NOT explicitly teaching
that
semisitting and dorsal CLOSE the "extra" up to 30% - NOT explicitly
teaching
that obstetricians generally KEEP women semisitting or dorsal - keep their
birth canals closed the "extra" up to 30% - when babies get stuck and they
pull with hands, forceps and vacuums.

If your Lamaze teacher is explicitly stating that obstetricians are
routinely closing birth canals up to 30% and KEEPING birth canals closed
the
"extra" up to 30% when babies get stuck - I will be pleased.

Can't you pretend to be even a little bit pleased?


I was (and am) extremely pleased that Susan thought to report on her Lamaze
class experience at a "large nationwide HMO."

I suspect, though, that I am right that Susan's Lamaze childbirth educator
did not teach that semisitting and dorsal CLOSE.

In defense of individual childbirth educators...

I myself was told years ago (in a Bradley Method class) that squatting opens
an "extra" up to 30% and did not realize that that means that semisitting
("the Bradley Classic") CLOSES the "extra" up to 30%.

THEN AGAIN...when I finally realized the grisly fact - I began informing
childbirth education leaders - including Bradley and Lamaze leaders.

Years ago, Bradley Method guru Jay Hathaway telephoned and we discussed the
simple biomechanics. He came to our apartment in Sunnyvale, CA and sat on
my living room floor as I used his model pelvis to explain why the picture
of his daughter demonstrating "the Bradley Classic" in one of his books was
also a demonstration of how to close the birth canal up to 30%.

Bradley Method guru Jay Hathaway took my then-wife and I out to dinner that
night - and after dinner Jay agreed that "the Bradley Classic" (semisitting)
must be abandoned - and his Bradley Method instructors must start teaching
the birth-canal-closing reason why.

But to my knowledge that never happened.

Bradley Method guru Jay Hathaway also never informed the late Dr. Bradley
himself, as he promised he would.

I know this because I spoke to Dr. Bradley by telephone before he died.

I spoke to Lamaze childbirth education leaders by phone - and emailed them.

I spoke to Midwifery Today's Jan Tritten - and wrote an article - and Jan
turned around and PROMOTED semisitting!

I spoke to both Murray Enkin, MD and Sir Iain Chalmers, MD by phone. Enkin
actually censored mention of "squatting opens" from his Guide to Effective
Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth - rather than explicitly state that
semisitting and dorsal CLOSE!
http://home1.gte.net/gastaldo/part2ftc.html

I also spoke to vaunted childbirth educator Henci Goer by telephone.

She, too, still says nothing about obstetricians and midwives closing birth
canals up to 30% - and keeping birth canals closed the "extra" up to 30%
when babies get stuck.

Yet right here on this list - Ericka Kammerer pretends that Henci does
address this grisly fact in one of her books. It is a LIE. I have no idea
why Ericka is lying - just like I have no idea why Henci (and other experts)
are silent about the obvious obstetric crime.

I have no idea why the LAMAZE people are silent.

Again, I contacted their leaders too years ago when I noticed that they too
were promoting semisitting/closing the birth canal up to 30%.

So there was NOTHING pleasing to me at all in the actual content of Susan's
report - since there was no evidence that her Lamaze instructor stated the
"squatting opens" fact the way it NEEDS to be stated: Semisitting and
dorsal CLOSE the "extra" up to 30% - and obstetricians are KEEPING women
semisitting and dorsal - keeping their birth canals closed the "extra" up to
30% when babies get stuck.

Let me close by saying (again) (though) that I was (and am) extremely
pleased that Susan thought to report.

Thank you Susan. I should have said that in my reply - but didn't. I am
sorry.

My thanks also to Amy (Mum of Two) for calling my omission to my attention.

Thanks Amy.

Sincerely,

Todd

PS Larry McMahan calls the obvious crime mere "substandard care." If Larry
is saying that obstetricians keeping birth canals closed the "extra" up to
30% when babies get stuck is IN EFFECT not a crime if it isn't prosecuted -
I can agree with that. That is what Steve B. Harris, MD said - and he is
right. But that does NOT mean that it can't eventually be prosecuted -
which is why I am in favor or pardons in advance for MDs. As med students
MDs are TRAINED to perform obvious felonies.

For the key "no-prosecution-no-crime" quote from Steve B. Harris, MD...

See Libertarians: Crooked obstetrician Ron Paul, MD (also: Michael Badnarik
for Congress)
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group...t/message/3789

I would LOVE to hear from Bradley and Lamaze instructors that they are
explicitly teaching that semisitting and dorsal CLOSE - and that
obstetricians are KEEPING birth canals closed the "extra" up to 30%.

I would love to hear that that is what Susan was taught - but I suspect I am
right in guessing that she was not - but I thank her for her report and
apologize for not thanking her. I was indeed extremely pleased that she
thought to report.

Todd Gastaldo wrote:
I suspect, though, that I am right that Susan's Lamaze childbirth educator
did not teach that semisitting and dorsal CLOSE.

In defense of individual childbirth educators...

I myself was told years ago (in a Bradley Method class) that squatting opens
an "extra" up to 30% and did not realize that that means that semisitting
("the Bradley Classic") CLOSES the "extra" up to 30%.

No, the instructor did not explicitly say this, but it was only the
first class. Also, it was pretty clear from the the anatomical model
that squatting increased the size of the opening in the pelvis. It
didn't take a rocket scientist to see that it doesn't happen without
squatting. Of course, she also didn't say that OBs and midwives were
out to butcher our deliveries, which is to be expected because she's
working for an HMO.

The instructor's philosophy is to make a range of options available for
pain management, laboring, etc. and let the mother choose which one
works best for her. I think this is a rather empowering approach-- much
better than thou shalt give birth in position X, where X is dorsal,
semi-sitting, squatting, or hopping like a kangaroo.

Susan

HMOs TO HELP BABIES?

Attention: Sarah Scholle, MPH, DrPH, Asst Vice
President, Research and Analysis, National Committee for
Quality Assurance/NCQA

See NCQA: Obstetricians offer the worst spine care
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group...t/message/3797

NCQA is a managed care quality organization.


Sarah Scholle, MPH, DrPH
Asst Vice President
NCQA

Sarah,

Susan/Benevolent Prof. has publicly shared details of her first HMO
childbirth education class.

While I greatly appreciate Susan sharing, my sense is that her HMO lets
obstetricians close birth canals up to 30% and keep birth canals closed the
"extra" up to 30% when babies get stuck.

I also suspect that Susan's HMO childbirth educator is not discussing these
grisly aspects of standard obstetric "care."

I encourage you (NCQA) to immediately warn all HMOs to stop obstetricians
from keeping birth canals closed the "extra" up to 30% when babies get
stuck.

Please cc me when you do.

REMEMBER...

Women shouldn't have to ASK for the "extra" up to 30%.

Most women don't KNOW to ask.

Sincerely,

Todd

Dr. Gastaldo
Hillsboro, Oregon



Susan/Benevolent Prof wrote:

Todd Gastaldo wrote:
I suspect, though, that I am right that Susan's Lamaze childbirth educator
did not teach that semisitting and dorsal CLOSE.

In defense of individual childbirth educators...

I myself was told years ago (in a Bradley Method class) that squatting opens
an "extra" up to 30% and did not realize that that means that semisitting
("the Bradley Classic") CLOSES the "extra" up to 30%.

No, the instructor did not explicitly say this, but it was only the
first class.


True.

Also, it was pretty clear from the the anatomical model
that squatting increased the size of the opening in the pelvis. It
didn't take a rocket scientist to see that it doesn't happen without
squatting.

Remember: "It" (the uterine and abdominal musculature increasing AP pelvic
outlet diameter maximally) happens in ANY position that gets the mother off
her sacrum - not just with squatting.

Of course, she also didn't say that OBs and midwives were
out to butcher our deliveries, which is to be expected because she's
working for an HMO.


Obstetricians and midwives are NOT "out to butcher deliveries."

Either they are out to lie to cover their asses AS they knowingly butcher
deliveries or they DON'T KNOW the simple biomechanics - even as HMO
childbirth educators TEACH the simple biomechanics (which, as you note, are
indeed simple).

The instructor's philosophy is to make a range of options available for
pain management, laboring, etc. and let the mother choose which one
works best for her.


Semisitting (closing the birth canal up to 30%) is NOT an option.

My bet is that like most childbirth educators, your HMO childbirth educator
is representing it as an option.

Similarly, my bet is that like most childbirth educators, your HMO
childbirth educator does not question the common obstetric practice of
KEEPING birth canals closed the "extra" up to 30% when babies get stuck as
hands, forceps and vacuums are used to pull on babies' skulls - sometimes so
hard that spinal nerves are ripped out of tiny spinal cords.


I think this is a rather empowering approach-- much
better than thou shalt give birth in position X, where X is dorsal,
semi-sitting, squatting, or hopping like a kangaroo.

Susan


The MOST empowering approach is saying right up front in the first class:

"Use virtually ANY delivery position BUT semisitting or dorsal" - and giving
the simple reason WHY - i.e. - by using semisitting and dorsal,
obstetricians are closing birth canals up to 30% and keeping birth canals
closed the "extra" up to 30% when babies get stuck.

Also in the first class, HMO childbirth instructors could tell women openly
that obstetricians are slicing vaginas and abdomens en masse
(episiotomy/c-section) - surgically/fraudulently inferring that everything
possible is being done/has been done to open birth canals - even as birth
canals are closed the "extra" up to 30%.

If the HMO has STOPPED obstetricians and midwives from using semisitting and
dorsal - if the HMO has stopped them from closing birth canals the "extra"
up to 30% - THAT should be stated right up front in the first class.

I believe 100% of babies would want HMO childbirth educators being explicit
- and NOT indicating to women (in the first class or in any class) that
squatting is the only way to allow the birth canal to open the "extra" up to
30%.

Susan, I would be much relieved to hear that in the first class your HMO
childbirth educator advised the women present that LOTS of delivery
positions allow the birth canal to open the "extra" up to 30%.

But as indicated above, it does not appear that that is what happened.

I will jump for joy when I hear of the first HMO that has stopped
obstetricians from closing birth canals, etc.

To this end...I say again...

Attention: Sarah Scholle, MPH, DrPH, Asst Vice
President, Research and Analysis, National Committee for
Quality Assurance/NCQA

See again: NCQA: Obstetricians offer the worst spine care
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group...t/message/3797

Todd






For readers who are interested, here's the full post to which Susan
responded...

in article , Todd Gastaldo at
wrote on 8/13/05 9:59 AM:

WHY BRADLEY AND LAMAZE SUCK (ALSO: SORRY SUSAN)

Bradley and Lamaze do many things right.

But they were (still are?) doing something very wrong.

See below.

in article , Mum of Two at
wrote on 8/13/05 3:00 AM:

"Todd Gastaldo" wrote in message
...
in article ,
Benevolent
Prof at wrote on 8/12/05 2:43 PM:

I went to my first Lamaze class this week with my large nation-wide HMO
and it was not nearly as bad as I had feared. The instructor didn't
talk down to us and was up front about the pain.

Todd Gastaldo will be very happy to hear that one of the first things
that we were taught was how to squat in order to open up the pelvis
that extra 30%. (This is even before we started Lamaze breathing.) The
instructor had a model of the bones in the pelvis to explain the effect
of squating. We were shown a three different ways to make the squat
more comfortable, and these were real squats (bum down, heels flat, and
hamstrings working).

Susan
"Lentil" due Oct 1, 2005.


Susan,

It has LONG been taught that "squatting opens" - yet Lamaze used to (may
still?) promote semisitting (closing birth canal up to 30%).

The Bradley Method also taught "squatting opens" - even as it (too) taught
semisitting (closing birth canal up to 30%) - calling semisitting the
"Bradley Classic"...

My bet is that Lamaze and Bradley teachers are NOT explicitly teaching
that
semisitting and dorsal CLOSE the "extra" up to 30% - NOT explicitly
teaching
that obstetricians generally KEEP women semisitting or dorsal - keep their
birth canals closed the "extra" up to 30% - when babies get stuck and they
pull with hands, forceps and vacuums.

If your Lamaze teacher is explicitly stating that obstetricians are
routinely closing birth canals up to 30% and KEEPING birth canals closed
the
"extra" up to 30% when babies get stuck - I will be pleased.

Can't you pretend to be even a little bit pleased?


I was (and am) extremely pleased that Susan thought to report on her Lamaze
class experience at a "large nationwide HMO."

I suspect, though, that I am right that Susan's Lamaze childbirth educator
did not teach that semisitting and dorsal CLOSE.

In defense of individual childbirth educators...

I myself was told years ago (in a Bradley Method class) that squatting opens
an "extra" up to 30% and did not realize that that means that semisitting
("the Bradley Classic") CLOSES the "extra" up to 30%.

THEN AGAIN...when I finally realized the grisly fact - I began informing
childbirth education leaders - including Bradley and Lamaze leaders.

Years ago, Bradley Method guru Jay Hathaway telephoned and we discussed the
simple biomechanics. He came to our apartment in Sunnyvale, CA and sat on
my living room floor as I used his model pelvis to explain why the picture
of his daughter demonstrating "the Bradley Classic" in one of his books was
also a demonstration of how to close the birth canal up to 30%.

Bradley Method guru Jay Hathaway took my then-wife and I out to dinner that
night - and after dinner Jay agreed that "the Bradley Classic" (semisitting)
must be abandoned - and his Bradley Method instructors must start teaching
the birth-canal-closing reason why.

But to my knowledge that never happened.

Bradley Method guru Jay Hathaway also never informed the late Dr. Bradley
himself, as he promised he would.

I know this because I spoke to Dr. Bradley by telephone before he died.

I spoke to Lamaze childbirth education leaders by phone - and emailed them.

I spoke to Midwifery Today's Jan Tritten - and wrote an article - and Jan
turned around and PROMOTED semisitting!

I spoke to both Murray Enkin, MD and Sir Iain Chalmers, MD by phone. Enkin
actually censored mention of "squatting opens" from his Guide to Effective
Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth - rather than explicitly state that
semisitting and dorsal CLOSE!
http://home1.gte.net/gastaldo/part2ftc.html

I also spoke to vaunted childbirth educator Henci Goer by telephone.

She, too, still says nothing about obstetricians and midwives closing birth
canals up to 30% - and keeping birth canals closed the "extra" up to 30%
when babies get stuck.

Yet right here on this list - Ericka Kammerer pretends that Henci does
address this grisly fact in one of her books. It is a LIE. I have no idea
why Ericka is lying - just like I have no idea why Henci (and other experts)
are silent about the obvious obstetric crime.

I have no idea why the LAMAZE people are silent.

Again, I contacted their leaders too years ago when I noticed that they too
were promoting semisitting/closing the birth canal up to 30%.

So there was NOTHING pleasing to me at all in the actual content of Susan's
report - since there was no evidence that her Lamaze instructor stated the
"squatting opens" fact the way it NEEDS to be stated: Semisitting and
dorsal CLOSE the "extra" up to 30% - and obstetricians are KEEPING women
semisitting and dorsal - keeping their birth canals closed the "extra" up to
30% when babies get stuck.

Let me close by saying (again) (though) that I was (and am) extremely
pleased that Susan thought to report.

Thank you Susan. I should have said that in my reply - but didn't. I am
sorry.

My thanks also to Amy (Mum of Two) for calling my omission to my attention.

Thanks Amy.

Sincerely,

Todd

PS Larry McMahan calls the obvious crime mere "substandard care." If Larry
is saying that obstetricians keeping birth canals closed the "extra" up to
30% when babies get stuck is IN EFFECT not a crime if it isn't prosecuted -
I can agree with that. That is what Steve B. Harris, MD said - and he is
right. But that does NOT mean that it can't eventually be prosecuted -
which is why I am in favor or pardons in advance for MDs. As med students
MDs are TRAINED to perform obvious felonies.

For the key "no-prosecution-no-crime" quote from Steve B. Harris, MD...

See Libertarians: Crooked obstetrician Ron Paul, MD (also: Michael Badnarik
for Congress)
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group...t/message/3789

I would LOVE to hear from Bradley and Lamaze instructors that they are
explicitly teaching that semisitting and dorsal CLOSE - and that
obstetricians are KEEPING birth canals closed the "extra" up to 30%.

I would love to hear that that is what Susan was taught - but I suspect I am
right in guessing that she was not - but I thank her for her report and
apologize for not thanking her. I was indeed extremely pleased that she
thought to report.