The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA

Notes from the Gentle Birth World Congress, 2007, in Portland, Oregon

by Joni Nichols
 

Dear Ones,
I am not a huge note taker but did jot down the following as I listened to the dynamic and talented professionals at the conference.
My apologies in advance to the speakers if I over simplified your fantastic and often complex  work!
You are each copied so that you can gently correct any of my comments.
 
 
Sarah Buckley:
What are the essentials or core requirement for mammalian birth?
That the woman feels
Private   Safe   Unobserved
 
I appreciated the emphasis on the woman’s PERCEPTION
For years I have been uncomfortable with what appears to be Michel Odent’s mandate about the woman remaining unobserved….
It depends on what the woman wants.  Having someone in the room or at her side or yes, even looking in her eyes (a big Odent no no) isn’t the answer. The answer resides in the woman
and what kind of accompaniment she finds soothing reassuring and empowering.  Sarah returned the protagonist role to the woman. What is her definition of privacy safety and lack of observation?
 
Oxytocin
Oxy = fast
Tocin = birth
 
Numbers are TOXIC to birth!
 
Joe Dispenza:
Fetal blood flow is tied to mother’s thoughts, actions and feelings
This is the 1st environmental experience of mixing nature and nurture
Mother’s internal environment influences baby’s gene expression
Thus, the external environment is PARAMOUNT to mother’s internal environment
 
Pregnancy is a privilege and NOT a sickness
 
Genres are “on and off” switches that we can change throughout our lives
Plasticity is to learn and evolve ; unlearning and learning
 
The message I took from his talk was that while bad things happen we have the elasticity, flexibility and plasticity to rework and reinterpret and keep these experiences from
Eroding our emotional and physical health.
 
 Robbie Davis Floyd:
 
I sat transfixed as usual. Very few (to say the least) notes. .  I had to laugh when I saw that I only jotted down one simple sentence.
 
There IS a way to employ a HOLISTIC use of high technology
 
Stephanie Cave:
The measles vaccine got introduced just when the mortality from the disease decreased
It wasn’t the vaccine that contributed to the improvement but rather (much like Marsden Wagner points out)
Water supply improved
Sewage control
Antibiotics
Improved infrastructure of streets roads and transportation
Wider variety of foods
 
Question to ask for each vaccine:
 
Are the risks of the disease they (purportedly prevent) greater than the risks of the vaccine?
 
Neurological disorders are on the rise….are vaccines port of the problem?
 
Thimerosal content of various vaccines from Johns Hopkins
www.vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm
 
http: work)
I did find lots more just by visitng .fda.gov and typing in the key words “thimerosal” “vaccine”
 
The vaccine cocktail contains:
Aluminum, ethyl mercury, formaldehyde msg, phenoxyethanol, polysorbatte 20 and 80,
Sucrose, gelatin, egg, chicken serum cow serum, monkey kidney, sheep cells, anitibiotics, human tissue and more
 
 
Nils Bergman:  http:
 
Although we missed Nils and Jill when they were in Monterrey Mexico earlier this year we were fortunate to hear two presentation at the congress.
 
Separation is measured in MINUTES
 
Social deprivation alters neurobiological systems
 
Separation is a violation of an innate agenda
 
Early separation con produce major shifts in susceptibility to stress
 
It all boils down to MOTHER  or OTHER!
 
I would have loved to attend Nikki Lee’s session “The Case Against Formula Obesity/Diabetes” but it took place at the same time as our session.
Her power point presentation is, however, available on the CD that conference attendees were given.
I don’t know whether more copies are available to the public but I think it might be worthwhile asking!
Barbara Harper wrote to us all to say that she intends to  post the Congress "handouts" and "speaker notes"  on the Waterbirth website  by late October.
I hope this means you will all have access to this information!
 
Reporting from Guadalajara, Mexico
Joni
www.joninichols.com