Editor’s Note: This post was provided by one of our paid sponsors, Earth Cinema Circle, the only DVD club dedicated to increasing social & environmental awareness through entertaining films. Written by Ariellie Ford.

Behind America’s 99-cent hamburgers and 72-ounce sodas is a key ingredient that silently fuels our fast-food nation — Corn. In KING CORN, we meet two college buddies, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, who move from the east coast to the heartland to really learn where their food comes from.  They relocate to northern Iowa, home of their great-grandfathers, with a mission.  They will plant an acre of corn, follow their harvest into the world, and attempt to understand what all of us are really made of — Corn. This entertaining and informative film is now available from Earth Cinema Circle.  The following is from an interview with Curt Ellis, co-producer of the film.

AF: How did you get started on this journey?
Curt: Ian Cheney & I were graduating from college and realized we knew next to nothing about the food we were eating every day.  It felt like our education was incomplete. On a whole other level, the obesity and diabetes epidemic caught our attention.  We saw a report that said people of our generation were likely to have a shorter life expectancy than our parents.  We decided to look into this and fill the gap in our education because we wanted to understand where our food was coming from.  In the process of trying to learn more about our diet, we had our hair analyzed and discovered that the actual carbon in our bodies is more than half corn.  Ian found out he was 58% corn and I was 53% corn.  We were pretty shocked.

AF: What inspired you to plant your own acre of corn and “experience” the farming process and why Iowa?
Curt:  We felt like if we didn’t know that we were half corn then others probably didn’t know it as well.  We decided to “tell” this story and we thought the best way to learn about the role of corn was to grow it ourselves and follow it to market. We moved to Iowa and grew one acre of corn in the way a typical farmer would grow 1,000 acres of corn.  We used genetically modified feed, anhydrous ammonia fertilizer and a $400,000 combine.  We grew 10,000 pounds of corn. That’s enough to sweeten 57,000 cans of soda or make 4,000 corn-fed hamburgers.

AF: What was the mission of your film and what can people do to make a real difference?
Curt: Our film developed a mission along the way.  The mission is to help more people understand where their food is coming from and to understand the policies that drive the way we eat.  With some simple changes in farm and food policy, we can make some big strides in helping all Americans get access to healthy, affordable and fresh food.

Interview courtesy of Earth Cinema Circle.  View a trailer of their current films now.

Posts Related to King Corn and the US Corn Crop:

• Weekend Review: King Corn
• What About Your Corn Footprint?
• Corn Aliases: How The King Crop Hides In Everything You Eat
• 2015: 30% of US Corn Harvest Will Be Gasoline
• Seven Eco-friendly Options for Less Junky Junk Food

Via:  www.abc.net.au & Grist

Image:  dcJohn on Flickr under a Creative Commons license

Related posts on fireworks, ozone, and the environment:

• The Sensibility of Sabbaths for Sustainable Living : Sustainablog

• Tip o’ the Day: Red, White and Bang : amystodghill - Green Options

• Environmental Defense Fund: Asthma and Idling - A Bad Combination …

Clark’s Honey Farm is committed to help SAVE THE PLANET.

With all the news’s going around about the disappearing of the bees, (about 70% on the East Coast) I became very intrigued to learn more about this honey farm’s passion to help save the planet.

At the current time they have over 2,000 healthy bee colonies. Their goal is to double the colonies in the next few years. Each colony has over 60,000 + bees.

They claim to provide enriching environments for their bees to thrive. “The bees are instrumental in the survival of the planet”.

They also ship their bees across the country to help farmers in need of pollination.

Bees pollinate up to one third of our food plants, and in recent months, bee colonies have been mysteriously collapsing. Up to 70% of bees on the East coast have disappeared, and about 50% in other parts of the country. One recent news account from New Hampshire says this: “The problem, called colony collapse disorder, already has hit beekeepers in 24 states, part of Canada, and several European countries. Many bees seem to disappear, with few to no bodies of dead bees found near the hives. The remaining bees, meanwhile, show mysterious symptoms. ”

I think it’s a wonderful thing this company is doing and I support them 100%.  In addition to the work they do to help save the bees, the candles and honey products are great!  I personally like the candles because they naturally clear the air of harmful toxins.

Each artisan crafted, hand poured candle is poured with intention and in support of this ideology. Clark’s candles are clean burning, paraffin free, and ignite the process of negative ionization - clearing your air of free radicals.

During the Middles Ages beeswax was introduced as the “new” substance to manufacture candles. Prior to that, animal tallow was used, but it was smelly, dirty and toxic. Beeswax candles were a marked improvement over those made with tallow because they burned pure and clean. However, they were expensive and only the wealthy could afford them. They were also preferred for religious significance.

Beeswax is the only fuel known to both ancient and modern science to produce a negative ion when burning. Negative ions are very conducive to human balance at all cellular levels. Burning Clark’s Wax Works candles removes dust, household odors, pollen, viruses, toxins – as well as mold and mildew – from the air.

Beeswax candles are still more expensive than paraffin candles because they are a natural resource. Paraffin candles are a petroleum by-product with color, fragrance, and chemicals added.

You can find Clarks Beeswax candles at Whole Foods, Chamberlains, The Vitamin Cottage and Wild Oats or by emailing Deborah at dkit63@yahoo.com

Happy Burning!

More than four million acres of American farmland have already been dedicated to organic farming, helping our health and our future. That’s four million acres farmed without the use of toxic pesticides or other toxic chemicals; four million acres nurtured with both ancient and modern techniques that are in balance with nature, helping to reduce the production of greenhouse gasses and reduce the threat of global warming.

Growing our foods organically has proven to be one of the hottest, fastest-growing movements of the twenty-first century. When Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act in 1990, there were fewer than one million acres of organic farmland. In just twelve years, by 2002, that figure had doubled. Then the pace of progress picked up. Within just three more years, the amount of organic farmland doubled again. In 2005, we saw, for the first time, certified organic farmland in all fifty states. There has been exceptional progress, but we need to do more.

If organic cropland continues to double—and it can!—we can expect to see a revitalization and renewal of our streams and our soil as we build a smart, sustainable future. I can remember drinking stream water in our national parks when I was a child. I can remember catching and eating fish from our local streams. Today, all of the streams surveyed by the U.S. Geological Survey and more than 90 percent of fish tested in farming regions are polluted with pesticides.

By eating strategically we can reclaim our streams, our food, and our future. Here’s my take on the top five organic food choices a pregnant woman can make for the sake of her baby and the health of the planet:

Beef. If you eat beef during pregnancy, I strongly suggest choosing organic beef. The meat from grass-fed, organically raised cattle tends to be leaner overall and has about five times the omega-3s of its conventional counterpart. In contrast, a 2007 study published in the Oxford journal Human Reproduction linked mothers who ate beef from conventionally raised cattle during pregnancy with lower sperm counts years later in their adult sons. The men in the study whose mothers ate conventional beef most frequently had sperm counts that averaged 24 percent lower than their counterparts, and they were three times more likely to be infertile. The authors of the study believe the added hormones were the culprit.

Milk. If you drink milk, opt for organic. Milk from organic, pasturefed cows is produced without antibiotics, artificial hormones, and pesticides, and can also provide extra omega-3s and beta-carotene. I find that when women start making organic choices for themselves and for their families, they often intuitively start at the top of the food chain with organic milk. They understand that the foods they eat and the medicines they take will often get into their breast milk, so they easily make the connection that the medicines and foods given to dairy cows may affect their family’s health. They prefer avoiding the routine use of antibiotics, artificial hormones, pesticides, and genetically modified feed. And I agree. Recent USDA monitoring data found that 27 percent of the conventional milk samples contained synthetic pyrethroid pesticides. By contrast, lower levels of the pesticide showed up in just 5 percent of the organic samples. There will be much more about milk in Chapter Four: “The Kitchen.”

Potatoes. When making the switch to organic vegetables, be sure to put potatoes on your shopping list. As the number one consumed vegetable in the United States, conventionally farmed white potatoes also have one of the highest levels of pesticide contamination. So by switching to organic, you can make a big difference in two important ways: by lowering your own exposure to chemical pesticides and by using your consumer clout to create a bigger market for the organic version of this popular veggie. And be sure to eat the peels! That way you will get all the available nutrients, including high levels of potassium and Vitamin C.

Apples. Among fruits, I would start with apples. Based on head-to-head, controlled studies, organic apples tend to have higher nutrient levels and taste better than the conventional variety. And sadly, conventionally grown apples are one of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits tested by the USDA. They are a major source of exposure to organophosphate pesticide, a chemical linked to decreased intelligence and increased attention problems in kids and hormone problems in adults.

Soy. Products made from organic whole soy beans can be a wonderfully nutritious food. Unfortunately only a tiny fraction of the nation’s soy crop is currently organic. And to make matters worse, 87 percent of the conventionally grown soy I the United States is genetically modified-and most of the domestic crop. What’s more, in recent years, soy has been the domestic crop most contaminated with organophosphate pesticides. Yes it’s hard to avoid soy- it’s found in virtually any processed food you eat these days, from soup to nuts. The only way out of this situation is to make sure that the processed foods you purchase are organic. That way you’ll know that any soy you’re eating wasn’t genetically altered, and wasn’t grown with pesticides. So be sure to check the label before you buy.

The organic & natural beauty market is increasingly saturated with new brands and products, and growing confusion about what’s ok for you and what’s not. Now seems like a good a time to provide a basic outline of what you need to know. In the posts to follow I’ll cover these in more depth but here’s a good starting point:

Natural: Widely defined as any substance harvested or derived from nature and then isolated, processed or purified by a variety of environmentally sound techniques including filtration, fermentation, distillation, expressing and other like processes.

Organic: Organic goes beyond and includes natural. Simply stated, this refers to ingredients that are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms or ionizing radiation. Most high-level organic brands have pending or achieved third-party certification.

Biodynamic: Often thought of as the ultimate in the organic and natural world. Biodynamic is a holistic, sustainable form of responsible agriculture that actually predates the organic movement. As in organic agriculture, biodynamic cultivation enriches the soil and yields plants that have not been burdened with synthetic/chemical fertilizers or pesticides, sustaining and fostering a healthy ecosystem. The soil the plants are grown in is clean and considered organic. Only biodynamic fertilizers and natural pesticides are used to support abundant life in the soil and maximum plant health. All plants are harvested at peak times during the day to preserve optimum benefits - usually at sunrise and moonrise.

The Environmental Working Group listed these important provisions for the bill, all aimed at making products safer for our kids.

The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act:

“*requires that industrial chemicals be safe for infants, kids and other vulnerable groups;

*requires that new chemicals be safety tested before they are sold;

*requires chemical manufacturers to test and prove that the 62,000 chemicals already on the market that have never been tested are safe in order for them to remain in commerce;

*requires EPA to review “priority” chemicals, those which are found in people, on an expedited schedule;

*requires regular biomonitoring to determine what chemicals are in people and in what amounts;

*requires regular updates of health and safety data and provides EPA with clear authority to request additional information and tests;

*provides incentives for manufacturers to further reduce health hazards;

*requires EPA to promote safer alternatives and alternatives to animal testing;
protects state and local rights; and

*requires that this information be publicly available.”

You can support this legislation by visiting the Organic Consumer’s website and sending a message to your Congressperson. This is a quick, easy way to support this bill. The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act would finally help our country shift in its mentality from protecting mega-corporations and manufacturers, to looking out for its most vulnerable population– its children.

photo: jspace3 at Flickr under a Creative Commons license

The right blend of essential oils will not only strengthen our immune system but also aid in revitalization and regulation of our emotional and physical responses to our changing everyday environment.

I like Radiance Synergy Blend by Feel-Good Products (no relation to our site) as they focus on healing essential oil blends that provide relief to many ailments or just aid in everyday relaxation. They also create signature synthetic-fragrance-free perfume oils for those interested.

Radiance (pictured above) includeds essential oils of: Grapefruit, Tangerine, Petitgrain, Pepper, Cypress, Sandalwood, Lime, and Helichrysum serotinum.

~ Essential Oils in this blend have been traditionally used to be energizing, warming, calming, uplifting, and to help alleviate stress, tension and depression. This synergy may be useful for depression, apathy and fatigue; also good for travel to refresh and awaken…

Editor’s note: I was given a sample of this along with the Feel-Good Visionary Synergy blend from a scent expert on a healing retreat in Hawaii, and whenever we tried them, any tension simply melt, and we felt pure bliss. Mix a few drops into massage oil for a full body treat.

More about Essential Oils and Aromatherapy:

• Red Flower
• Glowing & Gorgeous In One Easy Step.
• Organic Skin Care, Natural Cosmetics: The Future is Now
• Life Goggles: Beyond Organic Hydrating Body Oil

“The film is too stressful,” I say. “I am always running around. I am never able to be where I want to be.”

He shakes his head. “That’s not very sustainable, Caroline.”

I look at him, puzzled. “What do you mean?” I say.

“I mean, for you.”

I gazed at him. How irrelevant!, I thought, but the thought quickly passed. He’s right. How can I expect others to join me in an environmentally-sustainable revolution… if even I’m not having any fun doing it?

This is the story I want to pass along. This is what I want people to learn from my three-month sustainable living experiment. I’m more at peace now, knowing that teaching others exactly how to live more sustainably themselves is a secondary goal. Rather, I’m interested in conveying even more valuable knowledge than that: what I went through while trying to maintain this lifestyle.

I learned that I need to be gentle to myself. I learned that in order to love Mother Nature, you must love the most intimate manifestation of her you will ever know: yourself.

Since that conversation with Nick, I have learned to ask myself “is this sustainable for me to be doing?” A great example of when my so-called “sustainable lifestyle” is not personally sustainable comes in the form of my living quarters.

The Mili-tent. I love it and I hate it, but I mostly hate it. I hate it because I get inadequate sleep each night I sleep there, due to insufficient bedding and padding. This causes me, about twice a week, to crash on the couches of study lounges and my boyfriend’s house, desperate for rest.

But I had good reasons for choosing a tent, initially. I figured that removing myself from a common situation–living in an apartment–would help me to feel removed from using electricity and using municipal water. If I constantly had those temptations around me, what are the odds that I’d make much progress at all in learning how to innovate sustainable ways? It would also cost me too much money, and the mission of the Sust Enable series is to explore exceedingly affordable options. In order to do this film, I couldn’t work, and if I couldn’t work, I couldn’t pay for the apartment. But that’s another implicit mission–to reorganize my life around what is truly important.

Others who have walked down my path share this attitude: they start fresh with a new house, a new cabin, or any other manifestation of a brand-new living space. It is essential to help break old thought-patterns and seed new ones.

Another major personally-unsustainable aspect of my life is: what do I eat when I’m downtown?

There are no affordable sustainable food venues in downtown Pittsburgh. Moreover, there isn’t a single grocery store. Everything available is either pre-packaged or prepared, with nary a whisper about the source of the food. Thus, I must either go hungry or buy unsustainable food… that is, when I don’t remember to prepare dumpstered/forest edible food the night before.

One challenge has been establishing new routines to replace my old, environmentally unsustainable ones. A routine I haven’t quite gotten yet is when to set aside time to cook for the next full day that I’ll be downtown. Starting a fire is an art I still struggle with, plus it can take up to an hour to prepare and cook that much food! (I’ll be better off once I build my solar cooker.)

On the other hand, if it’s important to me, then I will make time in my life for such alterations in routine. I will allow myself the time to cook and enjoy it. I won’t bemoan the fact that a microwave could do it in 90 seconds.

There are many great examples of what is easily adopted into my lifestyle, and indeed enhances my quality of life: bike-riding is tops on that list! Also, urban foraging, dumpster diving and water collection have all improved my sense of a relationship with nature.

I feel like I’m acclimating more and more to the change within myself, too, and not just the alterations I’m imposing on my life. I am confident that many of the lifestyle modifications I will explore in the Sust Enable series will carry over into my life after the project. Indeed, I wouldn’t want to let them go: they have shown me how to be gentle to myself… how to respect my creativity, relaxation time, and truest desires, instead of merely brushing them aside in the rushing, bustling, competitive mindset that most of my fellow countrypeople suffer from today. If we want Earth to thrive, it is essential that each one of us–internally, emotionally, and physically–learn how to thrive too.

The birth of our second daughter was a lesson in patience, teaching me the lesson that all things in life happen in their in their own good time. And that we, for the most part, have little control over many facets in our lives. Waiting, relaxing, and letting things happen naturally are not things I am generally very good at.

You see, Elly was late. True to form of what would be her later personality, Elly just wasn’t ready to come into the world yet. And when I explain that she was one week late, people react that it was only one week. Even my midwife told me to relax and enjoy the last of my pregnancy.

But that was impossible. I was in labor for a week solid. Now don’t go calling it false labor, because if you would have said that during this time your life would have been in severe danger. There was nothing false about this labor.

I woke up exactly one week before Elly was born at 2 am with intense contractions. And I knew what they felt like; I had already had a baby. We got up, turned on music, lit candles, and got ready for the journey with anticipation and excitement. I labored all night. We called my mother in law to come down and take care of our oldest daughter. She came, as well as my mother, and at about daybreak my contractions eased a bit. Then in and out of days, nights, meals and appointments, my contractions came and went, some strong enough to send me doubling over rocking, and some making me breathe deeply at the dinner table, excusing myself to labor in the bathroom. And every night she didn’t come, every morning I woke up, I cried. You see, late pregnancy is not very comfortable (many reading this already know this, so I will spare you the details). And overdue pregnancy with latent labor is utterly exhausting, mentally and physically.

One of the many things that was so mentally trying about this time was the mindset that for my second baby, the birth should be faster and be easier. I clung to this notion like a buoy in churning water and when it turned out not be true, I was devastated.

I know many folks in my family just wanted me to be induced and end the misery I was in. And I too thought seriously about it, and had I been working with a physician, I bet I would have been induced or had some intervention. But my midwife encouraged me to stay with it, and I did, day in and day out, with my mother and husband watching and waiting.

Exactly one week later, to the hour, my water broke in bed. I remember being giddy with laughter and relief that it was finally happening. And boy, did it happen. True to form of her personality now, when she decided to come, look out, she was coming. Elly was born less than four hours later, with no interventions or medication. Relief, utter joy and quiet bliss finally came, and we settled into rest, recovery and loving our new little baby.

I know I am lucky, that if one small variable had changed, I could have had a series of interventions in both of my girls’ births. I do think working with a midwife, but in a hospital that supported natural child birth and caring, respectful nurses made it more possible and likely that I had positive and minimally invasive birth experiences. It truly could have gone either way. I went into both experiences with an open mind as to what might happen, hoping for a natural child birth, but knowing that the only outcome that mattered was a healthy baby.

There were many factors that made a midwife supported hospital birth right for us. Late winter in Vermont, for example. Both of my girls were born in or around massive snow storms (and frozen car locks, but that is another story–). Our nearest natural birthing center was an hour a way.

Every woman needs room, respect and attention to birth in the way she knows how. I needed to use sound to help me through contractions, a low chanting, soul clattering sound that left me hoarse for days. I also used the tub during my first birth which helped with intense back labor. I didn’t want anyone else around except my husband, I wanted my music or quiet.

I have nothing but respect for every woman as they birth, and I know I was truly blessed with both of my birthing experiences, even though my second one was long and trying. Life has a way of teaching us what we need to know, and I certainly needed the lesson.

Funny how best laid plans always go awry isn’t it?

So we were two weeks from our due date and family had just arrived “just in case” I delivered early. My husband went with me for the weekly check-in with the doctor. After listening for the baby’s heartbeat she pulled me up from the exam table, told me to throw my clothes on and get to the hospital right away - she’d have a team ready to meet me (the hospital was next door to her office). Words blurred, but I managed to remain calm and understood only that the heart rate was not what it should be.

As soon as I walked onto the maternity ward I was whisked into a room, stripped standing up and met by a group of four doctors (and my regular OB). After determining that the umbilical cord was choking my soon-to-be born son only when I reclined, my doctor assured us that everything was fine and that I could still deliver vaginally.

After a monitor was internally placed on my son’s scalp I was given pitocin and the fun began. I couldn’t move because we had to monitor his heart rate. So yes. Everything you’ve heard about pitocin is true. It hurts like all hell. There are no breaks. The contractions hit you hard and fast and towards the end I honestly think I would have forgotten to breathe had it not been for my husband.

Now, I consider myself to have a very high tolerance for pain but I was at my breaking point by the time the wonderful, beautiful, glorious, blessed epidural man showed up. It turned out I was dilated at about 8 centimeters when I got the epidural. (I was so quiet they didn’t check me beforehand. I was quiet because I was trying to survive the pain).

It turned out perfectly for me. It was just enough to take the edge off of the pain. I could feel to push, and could move my legs. He was born after 11 pushes and I’ve never been happier to hear a cry in my whole life.

They then had to rip my placenta out because it wasn’t budging. By then, thankfully, the epidural had fully kicked in. Otherwise, that would have been torment.

Our son was a healthy 6 pounds, 12 ounces and figured out how to nurse with a little help from our wonderful doula.

I read and hear stories of natural births and the contractions sound so much more manageable. I’m sure the picotin was the reason it was so hard and fast for me, but I don’t regret a second and truly thank God that we had our appointment scheduled that day. If we have another baby, I’ll definitley be buying a heart monitor just in case.

After going through a rough post-partum depression, my reaction was to get pregnant again pretty quickly and immerse myself in research so that I could be more empowered the next time. I had been shocked into a state of alertness about my body and had a strong intuitive knowledge my next baby and I didn’t need to go through this same situation again.

I had done my homework and knew that what happened with Carly and I was unusual and not likely to repeat itself. I also learned everything I could about VBACs (Vaginal Birth After Cesereans). If my doctor had done a good job of patching me back together, and I believe that she had, my uterus and I stood a good chance of having the strength to give birth naturally.

Of course, this was 1985 and most OB/GYNs were not interested in risk-taking and were still not used to women and expectant parents empowering themselves to make these kinds of decisions. It was SOP (standard operating procedure - literally!) and understood that once you had a cesarean, you would ’schedule’ your next one.

After confirming my pregnancy when Carly was only 8 months old, I started to search for an able and willing doctor who would work with us on a VBAC. To add to our young dramatic lives, we had just moved from New Jersey to Massachusetts, so I did not have access to the wonderful doc who had saved Carly’s and probably my life, AND who being the relatively rare woman OB/GYN, was more in tune with the whole VBAC thing.

My husband and I ‘interviewed’ many doctors, most of whom were not used to being asked detailed questions about their cesarean rates and feelings about safe VBAC options. I had one doctor actually say, “If that baby so much as farts, I’ll take it by c-section.” Needless to say, he was not our choice.

We finally found a wonderful man, Dr. Haling, who was really a midwife in a man-suit. He ran a beautiful and busy birthing center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which was right next to the hospital (which was a 45-minute ride from our home). We knew that because of the dangers associated with VBACs we were not candidates for the birthing center, but we accepted that quite readily and were thrilled to find Dr. Haling who understood our concerns and wish to have the most natural birth possible.

I found a wonderful natural childbirth educator named Debbie Lipp, who instilled a rock-solid foundation of knowledge and belief that my body could do this naturally and if intervention was necessary, we would know we did everything we could. She would later become my mentor as I also became a natural childbirth educator and labor support coach working specifically with VBACs.

Carly had come a month early, but had threatened to come even earlier, so we really weren’t sure how this one would go. My mother came up a month before my due date and camped out relatively patiently as we waited. We had a couple of false alarms, so we were good and ready when labor started in earnest one week early. Unlike the first time, it was kind of text-book normal - the early stage progressing slowly, but steadily. It had started late at night and we went to the hospital in the wee hours. I diligently practiced all my breathing, relaxation and coping techniques as things progress, but after 12 hours, my cervix was stuck at about 6 cenimeters and we decided to break the water and see if that would precipitate some action. Oh BABY! That little tired cervix responded by taking me from 6 to 10 in about 3 contractions - short but INTENSE transition!

We prepared to meet our tiny new babe. We had only had an initial sonogram and had opted not to learn the sex (if it were knowable at that time) and chose not to do any additional tests that could’ve revealed the sex.

Now it was time to do the work I had never gotten to do with Carly. I had done all I could to prepare. So, I started the pushing stage with excitement, focus and determination. I was planning to take a squatting position, but I quickly became aware of severe back pain in between the pushes, which rendered me nearly paralyzed and almost breathless and definitely speechless with pain. My husband wouldn’t have been able to support me properly between, so we propped me up on the bed and got busy. Pushing was relief. But after an hour the whole thing was getting exhausting to say the least. We had an external fetal heart monitor on and the baby was holding up well and presumably was in no hurry to meet us.

The staff was amazing. My husband and I were left alone a good part of the time. My husband was brave and never left my side and was enormously encouraging, but it was one female nurse who really saved me. Somehow looking into her eyes and hearing her say, “you can do this,” I knew it was true. I can’t remember her name, but it was this more than almost anything that led me to want to help other women through these intense moments, when a loving husband or well-meaning male doctor cannot with any REAL certainty say with authority that they understand.

By hour 3 of pushing, the doctor suggested that we use forceps, but he emphasized that he was only using them to turn the bean a little to help out. It seems in breaking the water we caught the wee one before the head was turned in the correct position and it needed a little help turning in the birth canal (Most babies are born face down, but if they come down face up or Octiput Posterior, that back part of the head is much harder and can be difficult to get past the tail bone).

He made an incision I’m not sure I even felt (later I learned that it went all the way to my anus and off to one side - ouch!) and then he barely touched the baby with the forceps and I heard them crash to the floor and within seconds I was holding my sweet little baby girl - Jessie. It was 6:06pm March 20, 1986, which also happened to be my sister Lisa’s birthday. So we named her Jessie Leigh (Lisa just didn’t work after Jessie, so it was close!). She was gorgeous (as all babies are to their parents) albeit wet and squishy from her trip into this world, and she was perfectly healthy. I kept her in my arms while the doctor did the grim task of sutchering me back together - honestly, I’m not sure which was worse, the c-section post surgical pain or the extended ‘hockey stick’ episiotimy I sported after Jessie’s birth!

It was well worth it. An entirely different experience. Jessie had brought a lot of healing power with her and I developed a new or renewed confidence and trust in my body and the birthing process, which would help me later when I gave birth to yet another beautiful baby girl, Mary, completely naturally 7 years later, and would allow me to help other women as they faced similar birthing decisions.

That’s one of three of my stories. It was therapeutic to write it. We have fallen into a tradition of my telling each of the girls their birth stories on their birthdays. They all love hearing it, although it doesn’t really change from year to year! but, I don’t think I’ve ever written it out. A different process of storytelling that brings a slightly different perspective.

If anyone has any questions, I’m still fairly educated about these issues although it’s clearly been a few years since this birth event.

Photo credits: TOP - Not my belly! Photo used with permission from Relevant Times; BOTTOM - Proud daddy John Heissenbuttel with 1-day old Jessie Leigh Heissenbuttel, born March 20, 1986.

Almost seven years ago, I gave birth to my daughter.  My pregnancy began with really bad “all day” sickness in the first trimester, where I would watch Dr. Zhivago between trips to the bathroom to puke. My second trimester was grand, as I was big enough to look pregnant and not just fat, and I felt really good. I had the glow. The third trimester was a challenge, as I gained 55 pounds overall and cried when I couldn’t squat long enough to plant my onions. Then, exactly on her due date, my daughter entered the world.

We live in a very remote region of Northern California.  Our closest hospital (that won’t do births) is an hour and half away.  Our midwives would not take the risk of a home birth at our off-the-grid homestead, nor did we feel entirely comfortable with the idea, so we decided rent a house in town for our birth.  A couple was going to Senegal for the summer, so it worked out perfectly that we could use their home for a month. It was about 15 minutes from the closest hospital, although no hospitals on the coast have an neo-natal intensive care unit.  I wanted a home birth, and this was the closest I could get to one.

Everyone feared I would go into labor in the mountains, so several days before my due date, we went to town to wait it out. I was restless and knew I would never go into labor in town, so we returned home.  I went for a long hike, and that night the real contractions began.  I was walking down our driveway as my husband pulled up, and I said, I think it is time to go.  My mother was here, but I feared her driving on the mountain roads, and we needed to take two cars for our dog to accompany us to town and fit everyone. So, I drove myself in labor two hours to the house we rented. My mother and I timed my contractions, but even though they were five minutes apart, I kept on driving (that’s how much I fear my mother’s driving!).

When we reached where a cell phone will work, I called my midwife. She could judge what stage of labor I was in by how well I could carry on a conversation, so she wasn’t too concerned.  We reached the house we had rented and awaited the midwives’ apprentice to arrive.   When Elizabeth, the apprentice arrived, I was annoyed that the midwives were taking their sweet time coming.  I didn’t want Elizabeth, I wanted Jan and Marlene. I thought I was really progressing, but little did I know I had 19 more hours of labor ahead of me.

The birthing tub was set up, and I took turns between lying in bed, being in the tub, and going for walks.  Nothing really worked for the pain, and I tried using combs on pressure points to offer some relief. I have a low threshold for pain, so after 16 hours of labor I was exhausted. My mathematical mind figured how far I should be dilated by a certain time, and when I had not progressed according to my formula, I was mentally devastated.  I declared, “I want drugs!”

My Danish midwife recognized this plea as one for change.  She leveled with me.  It was 3:00 pm, and by the time I got to the hospital and was admitted, I would be having this baby, and there would be no time for drugs. She was right, my daughter was born at 6:50 pm, but in the meantime, those slave driving midwives took me for a hike to the river. I envisioned having my baby on the river banks, which I really didn’t want to do, so I found myself grimacing in pain and holding back.

That’s what I learned from my first labor. I clinched with each contraction, held it in, did not let go. I did not open, but I tightened with the pain and fought it every step of the way. My daughter remained crowned for three hours, and my midwives actually thought there might be a need for an episiotomy, even though in twenty years they had never done one.  As any good midwife will do, they were patient and let my daughter come out as she needed to, as her heart rate remained normal and there was no need to rush things along.  No interventions were needed.

I was on my hands and knees in the birthing tub when my daughter was born. Her daddy got to catch her as her grandmother watched.  We carried her still attached to me to the bed, and immediately put her on the breast. She fed like she knew what to do, and we stared at her in amazement.  Our plan was to wait until her cord stopped pulsing to cut it, but after the placenta was delivered, all hell broke loose, and that was forgotten for awhile.

I bled, and I bled, and I bled.  My uterus would not contract.  I lost a lot of blood.  The apprentice gave me a shot of pitocin in the leg, and my husband held a flashlight as one midwive performed manual compressions on my uterus.  If you’ve ever had someone shove their arm up to their elbow in your uterus while applying pressure from above, you know what I felt. It was worse than labor, far worse.  My husband asked if we should be getting ready to transport to the hospital; my midwives said there was no time.  My mother thought I was going to bleed to death. Suckling my daughter, I tuned it all out and put my faith in the universe that it would all be how it was meant to be.

The bleeding stopped. I was very weak.  My mother was sent on a mission to buy Shepard’s Purse, Vitamin C, echinacea, black cherry juice, and Floradix. My midwives said they would start an iv if I wanted, but they felt that I could rebound if I followed their regime.  I was sentenced to two weeks of bed rest.

We stayed in town for three days. I was too weak to take my daughter to the pediatrician and hospital for her PKU testing, so my husband and mother did it alone.  She kept nursing like a champ, and I maintained that new momma bliss despite my weakened state.  The 2.5 hour drive home was hard (my mother’s driving), and I felt feverish when we arrived. Lying on the couch, which became my home since I wasn’t allowed to climb stairs to our bedroom, I got very chilled despite the 90 degree temperatures. I was shivering and feared we needed to go to the hospital.  My body temperature stabilized, and life went on.

After my hemorrhaging, you might think that I would be nervous about home births. I felt full confidence in my midwives to handle the situation, and I chose a home birth for my second child.  My midwives were well trained (one in Denmark and one was a licensed midwive in CA), and I never once doubted their ability to handle the situation.  In fact, I feel so blessed to have had people that cared about me be there in my time of need.  My midwives say my life was not at risk, and I believe them.  They felt compassion for my mother’s worries, and they also respect her for being cool throughout it all.

More birth stories:

• Labor of Love: Julian’s Birth Story

• Share your birth story to win!-Eco Child’s Play Forum
  

“Don’t self-medicate—self-meditate” is one motto for this book (both online and off) on self-meditation which encourages us to reap the evergrowing array of benefits related to the practice of meditating.

Creatively drawn from spiritual practices from Zen, to yoga, Sufism, and insight meditation, this book touches meditation basics, mantras and koans, tips, and ideas. A pocket guide style book, it reminds us to practice our inner breath, that recharges us with energy and vitality. Often people believe the only way to enlightenment is in long drawn out meditation retreats, and while those are amazing, it really only takes time out to meditate a few minutes a day for the same health benefits.

From Amazon’s description

…hundreds and hundreds of meditation practices that can be done during the course of our daily lives. You don’t need to go to a mountain retreat, renounce meat, or walk through coals on the soles of your feet—here’s a meditation to have with a cup of tea….

Created by author Barbara Ann Kipfer, who also wrote 14,000 Things to Be Happy About, Instant Karma, The Wish List, Words of Wisdom, and more.

I own several of her books and will confess to reading them recently during long jury duty breaks, waiting in line and so on. The best part of these do it yourself meditations is that they are easy enough to remember when the going gets tough. My favorite spark of Barbara’s genius is in her happiness web tools which stream more of her wise sayings each time the pages are refreshed!

Today I’d love to share more natural home remedies for glowing skin. Fruits like strawberries and papaya contain enzymes that cleanse the skin of impurities. Avocado is a rich natural moisturizer. Anti-inflammatory skin soothers like cucumber and chamomile prevent redness and calm skin after a gorgeous day in the sunshine.

Chamomile is not only a relaxing tea, but it also calms the skin. This beautiful skin article talks about how to make a simple hot chamomile towel mask to feel refreshed. Some swear by placing cool chamomile tea bags under the eyes to reduce puffy, red or tired eyes.

I also have a great summer tip for this flower. Put a little cool steeped chamomile H20 into a sprtizer bottle, and bring it with you when you are out in the sunshine! If you are a blond or brunette it will lift sunlight highlights in your lovely locks!

Cucumber cools the delicate eye area. Try placing a slice over each eye for a mini facial. For an easy cucumber face toner here is a little recipe. Keep it in the fridge for an added cooling effect after freshening up from a yoga class, brisk walk, or bike ride.

Papaya mashed into a mask makes for an exfoliating treat for the skin. The enzymes in papaya break down dead skin cells and lifts the dewey layer of fresh skin underneath. You can also use the papaya skins after enjoying the fruit. Try not to leave it on too long as it may over-exfoliate, to avoid this mix in a little honey into the mask.

Strawberry is known to clear pores and lift dirt and oils from the skin, try mashing one of your strawberries for a quick oil clearing mask if you’ve returned from a sunbath sweating while wearing sunscreen.

Avocados protect your body (inside and out) from harsh environments and topically it really nourishes and protects from dry skin.

If your skin is dry from the sun and nourishment is needed try this classic avacado mask: All you need is ½ avocado, ¼ cup honey. Mash the avocado and stir in honey, Apply to skin, wait 10 minutes, rinse face with washcloth.

The glutathione in avocado one of the strongest antioxidants and helps to regulate immune cells, detoxify, and protect against cancer. Try snaking on avocado once a week as well as integrating it into your beauty routine.

These gifts from the earth are meant to enhance your sun protection regimen. Sunscreen is top priority when the sunshine heat is on this summer. Try these easy to create healing remedies for when your sun-ripe glow needs a little soothing from mother nature.

Chamomile image by Simon Koopmann licensed under Creative Commons