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homestead - Re: [Homestead] Our shameful infant mortality rate

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  • From: "clanSkeen" <sgian AT planetc.com>
  • To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Our shameful infant mortality rate
  • Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 12:34:56 -0500


Again, infant mortality rates are calculated on 1 month to 1 year. How
exactly/precisesly does your ancedotal tales of birth deaths have any
substance in a discussion whose parameters start 30 days after your tales?

Again, and quite simply, healthy mothers have healthier children ... women in poor health have children with compromised health. Does one even need to document this? Farmstead life should make it obvious. We have the highest Cesarean rate in the world and yet it has been clearly established that there is a physiological function of natural vaginal birth that establishes a permanent health advantage for the newborn. We have the highest rate of prenatal and neonatal drug use (prescription, I mean here) and the effects of those drugs (including epidural) on infants is well established. There are permanent life-long health and developmental advantages to children who are breast-fed .... even the formula companies acknowledge as much and scramble to say that their soybean residue is closer to natural human milk.

Take this last as an example. When a mother says (as someone will inevitably) "But I couldn't breast feed [for whatever reason]!" Maybe and maybe not, it's little odds because it does not change the fact that the child is at a health and developmental disadvantage. When it is really impossible for the child to be breast fed as does happen, it doesn't change the facts. Yet in some circles it is supposed to not be mentioned because it might offend or upset someone who couldn't or chose not to do it. What's the point of that?

Like that, obesity is the second largest [no pun intended] health problem in this country. Obese people have compromised health. A woman who has compromised health [or in many cases, compromises her health] is at much, much higher risk of having an infant with compromised health. It's not a difficult principle to understand. So a child born to an unhealthy mother is at much higher risk of from ages 1 mo to 1 yr of falling victim to disease and accident than children of healthy mothers.

Observe your farm animals and note with what regularity the offspring of punnying and weak animals have a much higher mortality rate than the offspring of healthy animals. When something is observed with regularity in animals and humans for many years and is reflected in medical demographics, it is going beyond personal anecdotes.

James





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