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[bob ford <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>]

If you don't mind just answering in general; what do you do with the existing 
children when the new child is being born ?   Not ever having children or 
seeing an in-person live birth, I wouldn't know how this would work....bobford

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--- On Wed, 11/5/08, Clansgian AT wmconnect.com <Clansgian AT wmconnect.com> wrote:

> From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com <Clansgian AT wmconnect.com>
> Subject: Re: [Homestead] was derision of politicians, now A/P
> To: bobford79 AT yahoo.com
> Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 7:37 PM
> > >James, I understand you philispohical stand to do
> all of this stuff, but 
> > where did you learn how?  Was doing this common in
> your area when you were 
> > young.  Did you just learn by watching.  I really am
> curious
> 
> This tradition had died out dead as a doornail long, long
> before my time.
> 
> When we were ready to have children, we studied it.  We
> studied in a group 
> and in private with a couple of midwives, real ones, not
> the 
> wannabe-miniature-half-baked-OB's that has risen as a
> pseudo profession, but honest to God real 
> doulas and midwives.  
> 
> Then we did everything to make sure everyone involved was
> as rock solid 
> healthy as possible, which we generally do anyway.
> 
> You need someone around who is savvy just in case, but
> childbirth is a 
> natural occurance and should not be interferred with. 
> Herself and I volunteered to 
> do the grunt work at a lot of our friends' childbirths.
>  This means cooking, 
> taking care of the needs of father, mother, and midwives,
> cleaning up water, 
> feces, blood, urine, and puke (and that's just the
> father!).  Holding or 
> supporting the woman when she's tired, feeding her,
> helping her walk, taking care of 
> their other children.
> 
> When our first was born, Herself was concerned that the car
> seat/carrier 
> thingie wasn't the right size. So we went to a mart and
> she was pestering the 
> employee to see all the different carriers.  The woman
> asked, "How old is he?"  
> And Herself replied, "Ten hours."  "I'm
> surprised they let you out of the 
> hospital that soon!"  "Hostpital?  We were never
> in a hopsital!"
> 
> I thought the woman was going to faint.