Premature babies….

Everyone in the medical profession is always scratching their heads wondering what is up with all these preemie babies….
They used to scream…Every woman needs prenatal care…then this problem will be solved. If only all women would come to us for help, this prematurity problem would simply disapear!
Know what? More women than ever get prenatal care in this country, according to the CDC in 2003, 84% of women in America received first trimester prenatal care, and only 3.5% of women received late or no care. And yet the number of babies being born early still continues to climb.
I was one of the women in 2002 who received little or no care. I saw my MD once in the 7th month of my pregnancy. For the rest of my “care” I provided myself with what I believed would give us the best outcome. This was mostly care in the form of eating the Brewer Diet PERFECTLY, and getting prenatal massage, which we paid for out of pocket.
My therapist would come to my home, set up her table in my bedroom and give me a 90 minute massage. She had been specially trained in prenatal massage and was supportive of our decision to birth alone and at home. It was a treat to work with her during my pregnancy. No shaming, no guilt, no fear, and no paranoia.
I did work with some exceptional doctors during my first three pregnancies, and they were kind people who were working hard to help babies thrive, but not once during my many prenatal visits was I EVER asked what I was eating.
The Medical Professionals have a vested interest in parents remaining ignorant about proper nutritional needs for pregnant women. If parents were truly educated on prenatal nutrition, the whole system would collapse and tens of thousands of people would be out of work.
If you are interested in this topic, please take a few minutes to peruse the blue ribbon baby web site that the late Dr. Tom Brewer put together before he died last year. For some interesting reads go here, here, and here.
“It is a fact that nobody knows why Karen developed MTLP; not a soul in her own hospital. They could only chide her: “Why Karen, you had one of the worst cases of pre-eclampsia we’ve seen in this hospital in months.” And her baby ended up with RDS, a patient in her own neonatal intensive care unit!
What will it take to bring light into this darkness of USA obstetrics? The role of protein-calorie deficiency in etiology of MTLP was clearly recognized by Ross at Duke and Strauss at Harvard in 1935. Yet U.S.A. obstetrical and nutrition scientists rigidly reject this thesis in favor of the “NOTHING IS KNOWN’ position. We must let the people know!”
Tom Brewer, M.D.

What Is A Good, Nutritious, Balanced Diet?
Every day of the week, you and your baby must have:
One quart (4 cups) of milk. Any kind will do: whole milk, low fat, skim, powdered, or buttermilk. If you do not like milk, you can substitute one cup of yogurt for each cup of milk.
Two eggs.
One or two servings of fish, shellfish, chicken or turkey, lean beef, veal, lamb, pork, liver or kidney.
Alternative combinations include:
Rice with beans, cheese, sesame, milk
Cornmeal with beans, cheese, tofu, milk.
Beans with rice, bulgur, cornmeal, wheat noodles sesame seeds, milk.
Peanuts with: sunflower seeds, milk.
Whole wheat bread or noodles with: beans, cheese, peanut butter, milk, tofu.
For each serving of meat, you can substitute these quantities of cheese:
Brick 4 oz. Longhorn 3 oz.
Camembert 6 oz. Muenster 4 oz.
Cheddar 3 oz. Monterey Jack 4 oz.
Cottage 6 oz. Swiss 3 oz.
One or two servings of fresh, green, leafy vegetables: mustard, beet, collard, dandelion or turnip greens, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale, Swiss chard.
Five servings of whole grain breads, rolls, cereals or pancakes: wheatena, 100% bran flakes, granola, shredded wheat, wheat germ, oatmeal, buckwheat or whole wheat pancakes, corn bread, corn tortillas, corn or bran or whole wheat muffins, waffles, brown rice.
Two choices from: a whole potato (any style), large green pepper, grapefruit, lemon, lime, papaya, tomato (one piece of fruit, or one large glass of juice).
Three pats of butter.
Also include in your diet, in addition to the above (i.e., don’t count one food in two categories):
A yellow- or orange-colored vegetable or fruit five times a week.
Liver once a week, if you like it.
Table salt: SALT YOUR FOOD TO TASTE
Water: Drink to thirst.
It is not healthy for you and your unborn baby to go even 24 hours without good food!
Misinformation
I was a certified Bradly Childbirth teacher for eight years and so I am biased towards this method of childbirth prep and I believe if a couple will take the time and the energy to learn this form of childbirth, read the books, practice the techniques, eat the Brewer Diet, and give birth at home, they will have an amazing experience welcoming a large healthy child, born at 40+ weeks and large enough to care for from day one without any professional help.
Many of the women I know who are into this lifestyle have the issue of those babies not wanting to be born at 40 weeks. They are so happy gestating, they don’t want to leave the womb. My longest pregnancy was 45 weeks! Andy just wanted to stay put and cook a few weeks longer!
The bible has an interesting scripture on this topic. When Jacob was blessing his children before he died at the end of the book of Genesis, he gave Joseph a wonderful promise. He said in Genesis 49:25 “Even by the God of thy Father, who shall help thee; and by the almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings from Heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.”
I believe the greatest blessing from Heaven are blessings of the breast and of the womb.

Ben one week old, born at 42 week and 3 days after a six hour labor of love AT HOME!
Heavenly Father can give mighty miracles in regards to healing the sick, especially if complete faith in Jesus Christ is exercised, but Jesus Christ told us faith without works is dead, I believe if Mothers will take on the “work” of nourishing their bodies properly during pregnancy, they will experience the great blessing of building a healthy child and then having the reserves and resources to breastfeed that child.
Jenny Hatch
UPDATE:
Chat at Free Republic on this topic