From: gordons@netcom.com (Gordon Storga)
Subject: Re: What REALLY pisses me off about Fundies
Organization: Stay Awake Software
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 21:30:51 GMT

Ya know, sometimes people will include documentation references to support
their position.  But sometimes these references are so blatantly in
opposition to common sense that one questions them any way.

<1992Nov14.005617.27920@noao.edu> forgach@noao.edu (Suzanne Forgach) writes:
><nyikos.721695784@milo.math.scarolina.edu>, by nyikos@math.scarolina.edu (Peter Nyikos):
>> <16898CCA0.I3150101@dbstu1.rz.tu-bs.de> I3150101@dbstu1.rz.tu-bs.de (Benedikt Rosenau) writes:
>>>In article <1992Nov3.183610.1435@Cadence.COM>
>>>mas@Cadence.COM (Masud Khan) writes:
...
>> I wonder how much of this post-partum depression is due to the artificial
>> and forced separation of mothers from their newborn children immediately
>> upon birth, or shortly thereafter.
>
>A large part of it, Peter.   La Leche League has books and books on the subject.
>When mother and child are separated at birth by arbitrary hospital nursery
>policies, the mother's body goes into a hormonal tailspin.

Sounds like giving birth should be something to be avoided, doesn't it?
Sounds like we could be saving all those pregnant women who don't want to
be pregnant a horrendous time by suggesting they abort.

>                                                            Engorgement
>causes the mother's body to react as if the baby had died (obviously since
>he's not nursing enough, or even at all), and so the mother's whole system shuts
>down.  

Odd, I've know many women who nursed quite frequently in the hospital but
still experienced PPD.

>       What follows is insufficient milk, and then of course a round-the-clock
>screaming hungry baby once they both escape and get home.

None of the pregnant women I've known have ever had a problem with
'insufficient milk' although about 1/3 of them went through PPD to some
degree.

>                                                            Even though the
>baby hasn't actually died, the mother's screwed up hormones have now sent her
>into mourning mode, and then added to that is the exhaustion because the
>baby can't get enough milk to sleep well.

Damn.  These stupid women (who obviously can't make decisions for
themselves) are at the mercy of their raging hormones BEFORE getting
pregnant, and then they are at the mercy of their hormones AFTER giving
birth.  Poor women.  We should try to help them out of at least some of
that suffering by making sure they all know about abortion.

>Check into it.  Non-industrialized countries, which have far fewer hosptial
>births, have a far lower rate of post-partum depression.   

Common sense time:  Do you think it could be because they're too depressed
about living the standard of living of a third world country to worry
about a little more depression?  Could it be they were already depressed
BEFORE giving birth?

Let's do a little experiment:  Drop a 50 lb weight on your foot from the
height of 4 feet.  Now have someone prick you with a pin on your left palm.
Did you notice any discomfort from the pin?  If so, how does it compare
with the pain in your foot?  If you went to a doctor after this
experiment which "injury" would you tell him about first?

>                                                           Also in these
>countries, the _infant_mortality_ rate is inversely related to the breast-
>feeding rate.  All of this is simply because outside of a hospital setting,
>the breastfeeding relationship is less likely to be tampered with by
>commercial interests.   (Read "The Politics of Breastfeeding" by Gabriella
>Palmer.)

Common sense time:  These countries rarely have enough food for adults,
let alone children.  So it stands to reason that if they (babies) stop
breast-feeding (which we all know is free) then they do not have other
food to eat (hence, they die).  If they continue to breast-feed they'll
live a little longer.  The mortality rate of adults is inversely
proportional to their food consumption rate.  Ooh - big stat!

I do think PPD exists, but that it is brought on by hormonal imbalance of
the pregnancy and the trauma of childbirth combined.  Individuals react to
this differently, but the proximity of the baby to the mother after birth
is meaningless from a purely physical aspect. My opinion.


Gordon
-- 
The opinions expressed are my own, and not the beliefs or opinions
of whatever company you think I work for.  So there, thhhbbbt!
Message to Kodak:  Freedom for Dan Bredy.
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