Category Archives: Childbirth

Doctors Learn Vaccine Risk

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Struggling to understand how good doctors can advise parents to follow dangerous medical practises? Dr Moss, highly qualified practising physician, and Professor teaching young doctors, has a unique understanding.

Another doctor explains his viewpoint of the direction of our country, especially the medical system and the desire for total control. His childhood experience of being forced to flee from Vietnam gives him insight into the direction of medical care and practice in this country.

Thank you to the Vaxxed Team for their tireless collection of real life stories of vaccine injury and awakening to the truth.

Dr Neides from Ohio was fired after writing a blog post in which he explains his adverse reaction to a flu vaccine and began asking questions about vaccine safety. The way he was treated by the medical establishment launched him into a detailed investigation of the history and safety of vaccines. In this segment of his talk, he makes 8 specific points regarding why he now questions vaccines.

Dr Neides warns us that Pharma is now racing to bring 140 new vaccines to the public. In many states there are campaigns to mandate vaccines for school attendance, as was passed by California in 2015. What are you doing to learn and share the truth?

What is your story?

Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a breastfeeding counselor for over 23 years Becky is devoted to helping parents make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies. As a member of a Vaccine Safety Education Coalition, Becky writes and speaks on the topic of vaccine safety.

 

Does TDaP protect Newborns?

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It is an incredible shame that doctors are urging parents to do the exact opposite of what will protect their precious newborn from pertussis exposure.

Since the parents and the doctor are primarily interested in protecting their newborn baby from exposure to pertussis, according to the science, allowing anyone contact with the baby who has been recently vaccinated with TDaP is contraindicated. That is the science. Here are 2 studies every doctor should respect AND READ, because they are published in well respected journals.

Regarding Bordetella pertussis, Stanley Plotkin wrote: “we are far from a full understanding of the organism, the disease, the correlates of protection…immunity after vaccination is more or less transient. Therefore, it is not surprising that control of pertussis is relatively poor…The result is the continued circulation of the bacterium in family contacts, regardless of their vaccination history, resulting in exposure of vulnerable newborns.”

Plotkin, Stanley A. “The Importance of Persistence.” Advances in Pediatrics., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Dec. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5106615/.

Even more importantly, the following study, funded by the FDA presents facts in direct opposition to the recent advertisements seen on television by GSK.

The title of this paper makes the conclusion abundantly clear: “Acellular pertussis vaccines protect against disease but fail to prevent infection and transmission on a human primate model.”

Warfel, Jason M., et al. “Acellular Pertussis Vaccines Protect against Disease but Fail to Prevent Infection and Transmission in a Nonhuman Primate Model.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 14 Jan. 2014, www.pnas.org/content/111/2/787.

For those of us who are not experienced in analysis the details of scientific papers, Del Bigtree from ICAN, Informed Choice Action Network, has long experience as a medical journalist. This 4 minute video explains the details found by Dr Jason Warfel and his team in their study of pertussis transmission in animal primates. [Edited 2020: the original video in which Del describes the baboon study and it’s important has been removed by YouTube along with the entire Highwire channel. I found a clip (below) from another episode where Del Bigtree explains clearly how the pertussis vaccine does not stop transmission and could be the culprit in spreading whooping cough to the vulnerable. The abstract of Dr Warfel’s study here.]

For more information on vaccines, I have prepared a “Table of Contents” page for new parents, or anyone interested in vaccine safety, and protecting their precious baby from infectious illness.

Every parent wants to protect their precious child from any potential harm. Most grandparents are thrilled with the idea of seeing their new grandchild. In this world of vast information, it can be challenging to navigate to the truth.

Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a breastfeeding counselor for over 23 years Becky is devoted to helping parents make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies. As a member of a Vaccine Safety Education Coalition, Becky writes and speaks on the topic of vaccine safety.

TDaP for Grandparents, etc.

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Your child is having a baby. You can’t wait to meet your new grand baby. BUT, you’ve been told you should get a TDaP to “protect the new baby”. Is that a good idea for your health? (if you don’t want to read, skip to the end and watch the video)

There are two different vaccines on the market offered to adults. Neither has been tested to see if it could possible cause cancer, mutagenesis (gene changes) or infertility. I know you probably aren’t concerned about infertility at your age, but cancer…

  • Adacel by Sanofi Pasteur contains 330 mcg aluminum. View the complete vaccine package insert here.
  • Boostrix by GlaxoSmithKline contains 390 mcg aluminum. View the complete vaccine package insert here.

Both contain inactivated bacteria and were released in 2005 for age 10 to 64 years. Adacel is NOT approved for individuals 65 years and older. In addition to the bacterial components and the aluminum, Adacel contains “≤5 mcg residual formaldehyde, <50 ng residual glutaraldehyde and 3.3 mg (0.6% v/v) 2-phenoxyethanol (not as a preservative).”Boostrix’s other seriously concerning ingredients are: 4.5 mg of sodium chloride, ≤100 mcg of residual formaldehyde, and ≤100 mcg 382  polysorbate 80 (Tween 80). Polysorbate 80 is known to open the blood brain barrier which is why it is used in cancer therapy which attempts to target brain tumors. The combination of aluminum and polysorbate 80 could have a SERIOUS NEGATIVE IMPACT on AGING BRAINS!

Is the amount of 330 mcg or 390 mcg of aluminum safe?

There is no experimental scientific evidence of any kind that proves this amount of aluminum is safe to inject into any age person.

“Curiously, if you were to perform a simple search of the scientific literature available on aluminum hydroxide and aluminum phosphate prior to 1970, you can find studies such as this one, where it is being used to produce experimental epilepsy and seizures in monkeys. Or this one, where it was found to cause neurofibrillary degeneration of nerve cells (which is known to lead to the development of Alzheimer’s). Or this one, in which it was described that there were “difficulties” in mass-vaccinating children with aluminum-containing vaccines, due to febrile reactions, aluminum cysts at the site of injection, post-vaccination encephalopathy (brain dysfunction, disease, or disorder), paralytic poliomyelitis of the injected limb, and other unfavorable results…

There’s an endless amount of research on experimentation with aluminum for various purposes, but when it comes to real information on what might be a safe limit of injection, the literature is lacking.” Think Love Healthy

Please see the entire blog by ThinkLoveHealthy.com for a lot more detailed referenced information on the history of aluminum safety.

When it comes to injecting aluminum there is no scientific study that has ever been done to determine safe limits. Babies currently are given up to 1200 mcg of aluminum in just one ‘well baby’ visit at 2 months. This is 48 times the safe limit set by the FDA of 25 mcg. Babies receive further shots with similar amounts of aluminum repeated at 4 and 6 month visits!!

There is no evidence to say that aluminum is safe for babies, their parents, or their grandparents. There is no way to know if an individual will be adversely impacted. Aluminum is present in every brain of individuals with Alzheimer’s studied by Dr Christopher Exley. Dr Exley also found the highest levels of aluminum ever seen in the brains of those suffering with autism.

Far more could be written about whether the TDaP is even effective in preventing the transmission of pertussis bacteria to the precious new baby. If you have any doubt and are still thinking of getting it, please watch this video on the scientific basis of effectiveness of the vaccine.

If the above video link is not working, try this one: https://www.bitchute.com/video/BncDakVIQgq8/

I put this information together very quickly primarily to help a new good friend who is struggling with a request from her daughter in law to get the TDaP to ‘protect’ her son’s first child. We are praying the parents will seek wisdom with regard to vaccines! If you have a loved one convinced vaccines are good, I wrote this for you.

Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a breastfeeding counselor for over 23 years Becky is devoted to helping parents make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies. As a member of a Vaccine Safety Education Coalition, Becky writes and speaks on the topic of vaccine safety.

Home Birth – is it Safe?

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A guest post by my friend, KW, who recently had a home birth! She is an empowered, informed, warrior momma whom I admire. 3 out of 5 of my babies were born at home and I wholeheartedly endorse the experience. Enjoy this inspiring peek into KWs experience, in her own words:

We made it 6 months! I can’t believe it. The last 6 months have been a whirlwind, and I have been too crazy busy living life that I never got to share some pics from my home birth! 😍😍😍 This was one of the best (and most painful 😂) days of my life and I’m so excited to give you all a glimpse into a really intimate life moment for my husband and I.

A lot of people I’m sure have wondered, “why would she want to do something like that?!???” Or “is it safe”? Lol I will answer the latter first….YES it is safe….no, not for everyone but my midwives screened me beforehand the entire 9 months for any possible problems that could come up, so for me…it was safe. Also, my husband is an ER nurse and would flip out if I were doing anything that would cause myself or my baby harm (yet I got that question a lot! 😂).

This was one of the sweetest, most precious, surreal, emotional, and amazing days of my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all who helped make this a reality for me. I asked a group of you for a bit of financial help because I was gonna be paying out of pocket… it meant so much to me that you made me a priority. What meant even more was the moral support and cheering me on thru this entire process. You guys are amazing friends.

Ladies, you CAN birth this way…you CAN have choices. Find a knowledgeable midwife, they are far more educated in natural birth than a doctor ever will be. If you’re going to do a natural birth go with a midwife (I had 2!) and a doula;) Educate yourself on the topic….watch The Business of Being Born, and read Ina May Gaskin books. They will help you!

My main reasons for my decision to do this homebirth was to avoid obstetric abuse and unnecessary interventions that can be more harmful in the long run. I wanted choices in the way I birthed as long as baby and I were safe… and to have our new baby born into a calm environment. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made!

I want to be a an advocate for women who want choices in the process of birthing their babies. We should never be pushed into anything without our consent, not at a hospital, not anywhere.

Thank you to all who were in this journey with me (one that was not without struggle!). It was not easy to explain this part of my life to many people and there are deep seated reasons why it was very important to me that I birth this way. Thank you to all who understood that whether you agreed with my decision or not.

Home birth is a brave choice. Support and encouragement by family and friends plays a significant role. Home birth is not the easiest path to take, but well worth the effort.

Becky Hastings, blogger, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a breastfeeding counselor for over 23 years Becky is devoted to helping parents make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies. As a member of a Vaccine Safety Education Coalition, Becky writes and speaks on the topic of vaccine safety.

The Vitamin K PUSH

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Many parents find they are being pushed to accept the vitamin K shot for their newborn. A variety of claims are made by health care professionals, including “It’s just a vitamin” and “Your baby could die without the shot.” Parents are rightfully concerned. No parent wants to inflict harm on their baby, or deprive them from a life-giving procedure. But is vitamin K absolutely safe and absolutely necessary? Is there anything safer?

There are two versions of vitamin K given to newborns. One contains a preservative benzoyl alcohol and one contains polysorbate 80. These ingredients are of particular concern for those investigating the safety of this injection. “Polysorbate 80 is a surfactant known to facilitate access through the blood brain barrier and has been linked to sterility and other issues.” Benzoyl alcohol could contribute to neonatal jaundice.

Phytonadione by Hospira, Inc.

Version 1: The following information comes directly from the manufacturer’s information sheet for phytonadione by Hospira, Inc. which you can find in full HERE. Notice that this product contains 9 mg of benzoyl alcohol.

Pediatric Use

Hemolysis, jaundice, and hyperbilirubinemia in neonates, particularly those that are premature, may be related to the dose of Vitamin K1 Injection. Therefore, the recommended dose should not be exceeded (see ADVERSE REACTIONS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).

Adverse Reactions

Deaths have occurred after intravenous and intramuscular administration. (See Box Warning.)

Transient “flushing sensations” and “peculiar” sensations of taste have been observed, as well as rare instances of dizziness, rapid and weak pulse, profuse sweating, brief hypotension, dyspnea, and cyanosis.

Pain, swelling, and tenderness at the injection site may occur.

The possibility of allergic sensitivity including an anaphylactoid reaction, should be kept in mind.

CONTRAINDICATION

Hypersensitivity to any component of this medication.

Warnings

Benzyl alcohol as a preservative in Bacteriostatic Sodium Chloride Injection has been associated with toxicity in newborns. Data are unavailable on the toxicity of other preservatives in this age group. There is no evidence to suggest that the small amount of benzyl alcohol contained in Vitamin K1 Injection (Phytonadione Injectable Emulsion, USP), when used as recommended, is associated with toxicity.

Link to complete drug insert: https://www.drugs.com/pro/vitamin-k1.html

Phytonadione by International Medication Systems, Limited

Version 2: The ‘preservative free’ version is manufactured by International Medication Systems, Limited and contains 10 mg of polysorbate 80.

The complete description with warnings and adverse events can be found here.

 

There is particular concern about the administration of either vitamin K shot prior to giving the newborn the CDC recommended Hepatitis B vaccine. There are many aspects of routine newborn care which have not been studied to determine if the combination could be dangerous or cause a reaction when given together. Please research every standard of care procedure for your precious baby to make sure it has been proven to be SAFE.

“Vaccines can have adverse side-effects, and these are predominantly associated with the inclusion of chemical additives such as aluminum hydroxide adjuvant. The objective of this study was to establish an in vitro model system amenable to mechanistic investigations of cytotoxicity induced by hepatitis B vaccine…” Hepatitis B vaccine induces apoptotic death in Hepa1–6 cells, Apoptosis, An International Journal on Programmed Cell Death
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10495-011-0690-1

What if the administration of the vitamin K shot containing polysorbate 80 provides greater permeability to the infant brain so that the aluminum contained in the Hepatitis B vaccine can cause greater damage? This is just a question. But these questions need answers.

Some perspective on the vitamin K injection by Theo Farmer . . . .

I’d like to provide some perspective on the use of the vitamin K shot with babies. In particular, when a doctor says “there is a chance your baby will bleed to death if they don’t get this shot…,” what does that mean?

If you study the attached paper [1] for a while, it seems to me that it boils down to this: if you don’t take vitamin K inhibiting drugs when you’re pregnant and your baby is adequately breastfed, then the chance of them developing a bleeding disorder is 1/15,000 or maybe 1/20,000. There are other factors mentioned, like the incidence goes up if the baby is not adequately fed, but if you’re healthy and the baby is healthy and eating, doctors can still say “there’s a chance” when there is a 1 in 20,000 chance. Also, the paper is ambiguous about how many cases are mild cases and how many result in damage to the child.

To put into perspective the chance “1 in 20,000”: if you had a room in a clinic where one baby was born per day, every baby born in that room for 54 years would be given a vitamin K shot in order to prevent a bleeding disorder in just one baby.

With this 54 year perspective in mind, parents should ask themselves these kinds of questions: in 54 years of giving vitamin K shots, how many of those shots will cause problems? How many will be contaminated in manufacturing? What are the other ingredients besides Vitamin K and what is the chance they cause issues? What are the complications that arise simply by poking babies with needles for 54 years? Are there psychological implications to the child later in life? And then the best question: is there a valid reason that human babies are born deficient in vitamin K (God doesn’t make mistakes)?
And all this leads to a pivotal question: If this doctor has been taught to push this shot for every baby for 54 years to prevent one from excessive bleeding, can he be trusted in general?

From Wikipedia: “Lies, damned lies, and statistics” is a phrase describing the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments.”

Is there anything safer than vitamin K to protect a baby from brain bleeds?

Dr Suzanne Humphries explains clearly how the biggest factor involved in the vitamin K debate is the necessity of delayed cord clamping. When a baby’s cord is clamped immediately, it deprives baby of up to 1/3 of their total blood volume. By allowing the cord to stay attached at least until it stops pulsating, the baby receives all the blood they need. Additionally, baby receives essential stem cells which can move through the blood and initiate repair to any cells damaged from birth trauma. The stem cells are a brilliant heritage for baby and will contribute to longterm health. Stem cell therapy is a cutting edge field. Parents are often encouraged to harvest stem cells at the time of birth. Yet, very few doctors understand or explain to parents that the best heritage they can give their baby at birth is DELAYED CORD CLAMPING and successful breastfeeding. Additionally, mom can supplement her own vitamin K during pregnancy and after, by eating foods that supply this essential nutrient.

Edited to add: If you decide you want to give vitamin K order the liquid form. Take it to the hospital with you. Even if you decide NOT to give any vitamin K and you are birthing in a hospital, it might be a good idea to have the liquid form with you to appease those who are pushing you. Whether you give it or not, you can explain that you have the liquid version and you prefer to use that.

Let’s research and get the FACTS so that we can make informed decisions for the longterm health of our precious babies. More info on vitamin K here and here.

Author: Becky Hastings, wife to John for 36 years, mother of five naturally born breastfed babies, grandmother of six, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a volunteer breastfeeding counselor since 1993, Becky is devoted to helping parents, especially mothers, make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies.

 

[1]  Lippi, Giuseppe, and Massimo Franchini. “Vitamin K in Neonates: Facts and Myths.” Blood Transfusion, Edizioni SIMTI – SIMTI Servizi Srl, Jan. 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3021393/. Accessed 4 November 2017.

A compendium for my expectant friends

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Our oldest grandson born to our oldest son and his wife in 2012.

Dear Friend

I’ve got so much on my heart to share with you. I’ve been working on presenting information for new parents, especially moms, since 2013. I’m not sure I’ve got the presentation exactly right. I don’t know everything. I struggle to adequately share the passion of my heart. Sometimes I feel I might be too passionate. I don’t want to alienate new parents, but perhaps I have.

It’s just that the stakes are pretty high. Listening to the wrong advice can impact our whole life. I try to avoid giving advice. I urge new parents to investigate and understand everything – from car seat safety to medicalised births, and all procedures that are recommended for new babies. Don’t take anything for granted, especially when there are major industries involved.

Since my first baby was born I have been passionate about breastfeeding, one of the most empowering acts a woman can do.

The wonders of breastfeeding are far-reaching and well documented, yet, despite what we know, the actual breastfeeding rates are quite low. Woman are not getting helpful information or the support they need to be successful in breastfeeding their babies. I truly don’t believe it is a failure on the part of women, but a failure on the part of our culture and society. Many times a new mother’s attempts to breastfeed can be complicated by standards of care for pregnant, laboring, and new moms. Misinformation abounds in our society. If every mother and father fully understood how breastfeeding impacts life-long health and well-being, they would be far more committed to searching out information on how to be successful. Listening and following the wrong information could sabotage your best attempts in breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is a learned art. Breastfeeding is best learned from someone who has been successful at breastfeeding, has helped other mothers reach their own goals for breastfeeding, and has enjoyed the process. All five of my babies and all six of my grandchildren have been breastfed. My daughter-in-law has told me many times that I need to write a book for young moms who are trying to navigate the world of motherhood.

Here are some of my blogs I’ve prepared for someone just like you. I pray you will browse, check out my sources, dig a little deeper, and come to your own conclusions. I am always available to discuss anything. I try to keep an open mind and dig for the truth. I share with you because I care about you and the health and happiness of your future babies.

Our oldest granddaughter born to our second son and his wife in 2010.

Many friends have shared information with me along my journey of motherhood which began in 1982. I am thankful they did. Motherhood is perhaps the most difficult yet most significant job we will ever have in life. I’ve never met anyone who wanted to be a bad mother. I’ve never met anyone who wanted a miserable baby. Yet I’ve met many mothers who face profound discouragement and when they trace back their journey they often find it was because of poor advice they were given early in their motherhood career. I pray you will find strength in your motherhood journey and have wisdom to discern what is best for you and your baby.

Blessings,

Becky

Here are some suggestions on places to start on specific topics. You could consider it something like a table of contents in a book.

Author: Becky Hastings, wife to John for 36 years, mother of five naturally born breastfed babies, grandmother of six, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a volunteer breastfeeding counselor since 1993, Becky is devoted to helping parents, especially mothers, make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies.

Dear Soon to be New Mom

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Dear mom to be,

I’m older than you; probably a lot older. I even have children who are older than you. You know many people like me and you take our words with caution – because we can’t possible know or understand your reality. You might be bombarded with well meaning advice.

I pray you will take a few minutes and try to understand my heart. I truly want only the best for you. I am older, but I have learned a lot in my many years and would love to share what I have learned with you – both from my mistakes and from my learning.

I’ve always tended toward being a trusting person. I have been duped many times because I put trust in the wrong place. My life was forever changed when I made the choice to anchor my trust in Jesus Christ alone. My wholehearted desire to seek a growing relationship with Jesus, my Savior, has led me to investigate all the decisions I make differently, especially for my babies.

When I was a very young expectant mother, God brought several wise women across my path who provided input and wisdom beyond my years. They urged me to investigate:

  • Childbirth options and drug free childbirth;
  • Drugs given to women during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding and what impact they might have on the developing/new baby;
  • Procedures common for childbirth and newborns like episiotomies and circumcision and whether they were the best thing for long term health;
  • Routine standard of care procedures for newborns and babies like vaccines, vitamin K injections, and prophylactic eye ointment, and if they were safe and beneficial for newborns.
  • Breastfeeding and how to be successful – learning through the vast experience of other mothers.

I totally believe in your ability to be an amazing mother. However, there are forces at work in our society which are going to make it a lot harder for you to achieve your own expectations. There has never been a more difficult, more confusing time to be a mother.

When I was younger I couldn’t imagine a world where harm would be done to babies just for the sake of making a profit. Unfortunately, as I have learned more about the world, I’ve seen it happening in far too many arenas; confirmed by far too many moms. I don’t enjoy being skeptical and suspicious, but as a mother who desires only the best for her babies, it pays to be vigilant about everything.

Most parents are quite concerned about car seats, mattresses, diapers, and other basic baby items. I encourage you to be even more vigilant about the health choices you make for your baby. Don’t take anything for granted. Don’t wait until you are in the hospital or doctor’s office to investigate the many routine procedures they now perform on newborns or recommend during pregnancy. Don’t be afraid to hold a different opinion than the doctors or nurses. They probably have blindly accepted the information put out by the CDC. Their position and the pressure of insurance companies requires them to adhere to “routine standard of care” procedures, but that does not mean these practices are best for you and your baby. There are many highly intelligent members of the medical community who actively question and disagree with a lot of standard of care practices.

Making choices that go against mainstream recommendations can be a scary road to travel. I believe God gives mothers basic intuition on how to protect their baby and my desire is to nurture your intuition so that you can be a powerful advocate and warrior momma, doing everything you need to do to protect your baby from anything that could cause harm.

That is why I write. I am passionate about healthy empowered moms with healthy babies. I don’t make money! I have been researching many of these topics since I was newly pregnant 35 years ago. I have linked many of my previous blogs about these topics throughout this text. I encourage you to take a serious look at this information. I’d love to discuss any aspect of mothering with you. I realize you may make choices different from mine, and I respect your right to those choices. However, I urge you to make fully informed choices. Investigate, ask questions, dig deeper. Your baby will thank you.

All my love,

Becky

Author: Becky Hastings, wife to John for 36 years, mother of five naturally born breastfed babies, grandmother of six, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a volunteer breastfeeding counselor since 1993, Becky is devoted to helping parents, especially mothers, make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies.

Woman to Woman on Motherhood

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Just part of the family. Full family get-togethers become increasingly difficult!

Originally published on January 2017

No longer in the stage of life of having small children – with all the joys and tasks they create – I now have the blessing of grandchildren! This allows me time to think about the significance of motherhood and seek to encourage moms in the most important role they could ever have. Seeking wisdom through the Bible daily, God sheds light in my heart and I desire to share this light with others.

Peter speaks directly to leaders in chapter five of his first letter, “Shepherd God’s flock. Not for the money, but eagerly.” These words powerfully impacted my heart one morning. Who are these words directed to? Leaders. Who is a leader? Parents are leaders. Mothers are leaders. We are entrusted with the leadership of our children.

What does it mean to shepherd a flock? I’m no expert in sheep, but my guess is the obvious things – take care of them. Make sure they have safe food, a safe place to eat and protect them from forces that might attack and harm them. David is a great example of a committed shepherd. He tells us that he actively protected his sheep by killing a lion and a bear. He didn’t abandon his sheep. He didn’t expect anyone else to come in and do his work for him. He was ready. He was alert. He was practiced. He attacked the enemies that sought to attack his flock.

We also read many of David’s psalms and we know God asserted that David was “a man after God’s own heart.” David was certainly not perfect. He committed adultery and murder and sought to cover it up. He married many wives and didn’t have a great track record as a father. However, God continues to affirm that David’s heart was directed toward God. I believe part of this comes from his occupation during the boredom of looking after his sheep. Let’s face it, when you are looking after sheep, there are times of boredom – when everything seems to be going well. David used this time to exalt in God. He wrote down praises to God and he memorized them. He used his down time to extol God and bask in who God is.

As mother-leaders we are to be prepared to actively protect our flock – the children we are blessed to bear and raise. We can also use the times of boredom to dig deeper into knowing God, knowing His word, memorizing His word and exalting God in our lives.

In 2017 we need to know exactly what dangers our sheep are facing. We need to have an awareness of the very real dangers in our world so that we can expose them and help our children avoid being consumed by the enemies they will encounter. I don’t believe we are called to push for a better world, or even hope that there will be a political solution to the evil we see around us. But, as a vigilant shepherd, as a mother today, we seek to protect our babies. God has entrusted them to our care; we must be aware and warn them of danger. An alert shepherd will investigate potential danger before advancing to a new area. Shepherds should be able to understand, point out, and explain the reason a particular path holds danger.

For me personally, as someone who has been blessed to get support and information that enabled me to have natural births and breastfeed the five children I was blessed by God to bear, the world of childbirth and early parenting are close to my heart. Knowing how empowering the act of giving birth naturally was for me, knowing how empowering the act of nurturing a baby exclusively at the breast is, and watching with delight as baby grows and thrives on breast milk alone is an unparalleled experience.

I believe the enemy wants to rob women of this empowering experience. Further, the enemy seeks to sow discord in the hearts of children and break the bonding process experienced easily through natural birth and breastfeeding. I am not trying to criticize anyone who has had a different experience, but the reality is, bonding is more difficult when there are complications in childbirth and when early breastfeeding is a struggle. These are not insurmountable challenges, but require much more effort and determination to get through. As a breastfeeding counselor for 23+ years I have seen women overcome incredible challenges to successfully breastfeed, but my heart aches to watch completely unnecessary complications develop because of lack of support, or poor recommendations to unsuspecting women.

I believe the medical establishment has so medicalized the childbirth experience that most women are deprived of the support necessary to watch their body give birth. A woman is designed to give birth and her body is the most amazing part of the process. Our modern medical practices often unnecessarily complicate the process and serve to DISempower women of their biological strength. Again, this is not meant as a criticism to specific women, who generally do the best with the situation they face, but to the system. Medicalized births often lead to increased trauma to both mom and baby and can make breastfeeding more difficult. Additionally, standard hospital practices, such as early cord clamping, routine vitamin K injections, eye ointment, and some of the well meaning advice given by staff can adversely impact bonding and breastfeeding. Medical personnel who are ignorant of breastfeeding can create many obstacles for a brand new mother trying to get breastfeeding off to a good start. Routine circumcision of male newborns can seriously impact breastfeeding – yet mothers are not warned.

As a breastfeeding counselor, nothing hurts my heart more than watching innocent, but ignorant, parents, blindly follow medical or cultural advice and end up actually harming their own child. They do not intend harm to their precious baby, but the system has ensnared them into decisions that are not in their baby’s best interests for lifelong health.

How? The list is long. Giving pregnant women vaccines which are known to harm the developing baby, giving many ultrasounds in pregnancy, routine birth practices (such as routine inductions or quick C-sections) designed with the doctor or hospital in mind but which put baby at greater risk of harm, vaccines given to baby, circumcision, allergy shots for children, Tylenol, screen time for babies and children (more addictive and damaging than some drugs), GMO food, processed foods, blindly trusting public schools or curriculum, Disney movies, etc.

I was once in darkness about most of these things. I didn’t know how harmful they were. But, having researched and now understanding the danger, I can no longer blindly continue these harmful practices for myself. As an “older women” I can no longer stand idly by and watch younger women get sucked into very dangerous fields where the enemy stands ready to devour both them and their young lambs.

So, I must speak out and warn others, despite the risk of being dismissed as crazy, or ridiculed by what I point out. I am encouraged by Paul’s admission of craziness,

“For if we are out of our mind (super crazy), it is for God, and if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ compels, us because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all died. And He died for all that those who live, no longer live for themselves, but for Him who for their sake, died, and was raised.” 2 Corinthians 5:13-14

Peter warns us that we need to ‘”Be serious. Be alert. Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him and be firm in the faith.” 1 Peter 5:8-9

This is why I started this blog. Thanks for reading. Thanks for sharing.

Author: Becky Hastings, wife to John for 36 years, mother of five, MIL to two, grandmother of six, passionate follower of Jesus Christ. A full time truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Navigating our present day world can be challenging, God’s timeless truths in the Bible are my guide.

Reasons for Circumcision

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Botched circumcisions are a reality. Circumcision, which should more appropriately be referred to as ‘complete foreskin amputation’, as performed in the US on infants, often goes wrong. You might not have heard about it. Parents don’t talk about it. Boys and men experience so much trauma and pain that they rarely discuss it. Yet it is a reality that has negatively impacted the lives of thousands. Circumcision is a risk. It is a risk to lifelong sexual satisfaction; a risk of functional use of a healthy specifically designed part of the body. And there is a risk of death – far more often than parents are told about.

“The hundreds of boys I have seen who needed surgery to repair problems caused by their circumcisions are real. The men who lost more parts of their penis than the foreskin are real. The thousands of adult men saying they wish they hadn’t been cut are real. Not recognizing that circumcision is harmful is either ignorance or denial.” Adrienne Carmack, M.C., urologist https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/for-professionals/complications/#anchor-02

Please inform yourself of exactly what the procedure entails BEFORE you are in the hospital faced with the question of whether to keep your son intact or not. This is elective surgery. It is a choice for parents to make, yet often parents are not fully informed.

I urge you to dedicate at least 2 – 4 hours researching circumcision before you make an irreversible decision for your son’s genitalia. If you still decide to do the surgery, at least you will make an informed decision that you won’t later go back to and say, “I wish I knew better before I had made this permanent decision for my son about his genitals.”

The most important thing for you to do right now is to decide why you might want to have this surgery done to your newborn son.

The most common reason given for circumcision is because they want their son to look like everyone else, so they won’t be teased or embarrassed. The truth is ALL penises look different – whether intact or cut. Over 80% of adult men in the world have intact genitalia. Many experts in the US now admit that there is no need for circumcision and recognize it as purely cosmetic surgery. Because of that, insurance doesn’t always pay for it, and many parents are now skipping the procedure. As a result, fewer and fewer infants in the US are having this cosmetic surgery so the locker room issue will not arise. In 2010, the CDC reported that 41.70% of baby boys left US hospitals intact! Would you endorse cosmetic surgery on your young daughters genitals or breasts to conform to other girls? Could we give our sons the same consideration?

Some moms want to circumcise their newborns because they don’t like the way an uncircumcised man looks. Maybe their son’s future wife won’t have that same opinion. Intact men are satisfied with their genitals. When asked, most intact men say they would rather face teasing than have their forsaken amputated. Adult men will have the opportunity of having a circumcision – with true informed consent – if they desire.

Other people opt to circumcise because of the religious connection. In the book of Genesis, Abraham was told to circumcise all the males in his household. When Jesus was eight days old, his parents took him to be circumcised. This procedure, given to the Jewish nation before running water, was symbolic in nature and had no value except to mark someone as a Hebrew person that placed their faith in God. Biblical circumcision was a cut. A small blood sacrifice; a mark on the skin. It was not a complete amputation of the foreskin. Only a very small bit of the excess foreskin was removed. It never involved forcibly tearing the protective skin away from the glans (head) of the penis, which is adhered at birth like a fingernail is to a finger. Additionally, there are many New Testament examples that clearly show us the need for a blood sacrifice has been finally fulfilled in Jesus’ death and circumcision is no longer necessary. See Galatians 5 & 6 or look up circumcision in a concordance.

Here are a few links that I urge you to look at BEFORE making any kind of irreversible decision for your precious son.

There is a lot of discussion on whether a baby can feel the pain of this traumatic surgical procedure, or if that pain makes a difference in his life. Anesthesia … http://www.drmomma.org/2008/11/the-effectiveness-of-anesthesia-for.html?m=1

Why did circumcision became so mainstream in the US? These excerpts from medical journals from the late 1800’s and the 1900’s provide the answers. http://www.drmomma.org/2007/05/circumcision-brief-history-in.html?m=1

This EXCELLENT video, Child Circumcision: An Elephant in the Hospital, looks at the topic through both a review of scientific literature and a discussion of the human cost of the procedure, this presentation explores these questions from the perspectives of the child, the adult survivor, the parent, and the practitioner. Ryan McAllister, PhD, is a parent, a biophysicist, an Assistant Professor of Physics and Oncology at Georgetown University, and also a volunteer who supports parents and families. Over the last 10 years he has been studying the medicalization of childbirth in U.S. hospitals.

The actual procedure: An infant’s penis is very small making such surgery difficult and delicate. There is a very small surgical field and no way to know how the penis would normally grow, which can and does result in devastating outcomes. In fact, some men have painful, tight erections because too much foreskin is removed in infancy. Any parent considering allowing such a surgical procedure on their son should at the very least, watch a video that shows what happens during the procedure. This video is a US style circumcision using a plastibell device. [Edit: the original linked video vanished so I found another one. It is age restricted so you will have to click on it to watch on YT.]

From a nurse…

…the first circumcision I saw was in nursing school. I asked the doc if he would use something for pain. He said, “No, topical meds won’t be enough before hand and if I give him injections I’ll have to give 9-12 injections, which will make the pain worse at first. No, it’s better to just do it quickly. Get it finished. Apply topical pain relief and give him to his mom to nurse or feed.”

The nurse took the baby back to mom after he had stopped crying. She told mom, “He did great…” and mom smiled. She never knew what the experience was like for her son. It was heartbreaking. I asked the nurse how she felt about it and told her I felt sick. I was shaking. She said, “Yeah it’s one of the worse parts of the job…” and that was it. She walked off. Later she told me she wished it didn’t happen and her own son was intact. I said, “Well, yeah, because you’ve seen it happen – how awful it is. These parents, here, never see behind the scenes.”
Alicia J.

I hope these resources help you get started in learning about the details of making this important decision for your precious son. This is my second blog on this topic, you can read my first blog here.

Edit: I just found 2 more thorough sources of information published by GreenMedInfo on this topic:

Ji, Sayer. “Infants Deeply Traumatized By Common Medical Procedures, New Study Suggests.” GreenMedInfo – The World’s Natural Health Resource, 30 July 2016, www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/infants-deeply-traumatized-medical-procedures-new-study-suggests-1.

Quine, Spoony. “The Foreskin: Why Is It Such A Secret In North America?” GreenMedInfo – The World’s Natural Health Resource, 2 July 2015, www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/foreskin-why-it-such-secret-north-america.

Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a breastfeeding counselor for over 23 years Becky is devoted to helping parents make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies.

10 Not so frequently shared facts regarding Circumcision

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Circumcision is a very hot topic. So hot, in fact, that many parent health forums on Facebook completely ban it from discussion and all posts using the word are deleted. Discussing the genitals of males seems to elicit strong emotion from all angles. For this reason, I believe a lot of people have never really taken a serious look at the discussion — have never investigated the true facts for themselves. My toddler grandson was able to get away from his mother during a diaper change at a church social gathering and enjoyed the freedom of walking around naked. There were several young fathers who noticed him and remarked amongst themselves, “He must be European.” Between them they had seven sons. They totally accepted that the American way is to cut off the foreskin.

1. Circumcision practiced today is NOT the same as Biblical circumcision. Firstly I want to address the actual word. The word circumcision is a familiar term to Christians and people familiar with the Torah or religious practices of Abraham’s descendants. The use of the word in our modern context is not at all the same. The procedure performed on infants today, predominantly in the US, should more appropriately be known as foreskin or prepuce amputation. Many people refer to it as genital mutilation.

Language is critically important in this discussion. The practice introduced to Abraham was not the same practice performed in US hospitals today. During Abraham’s time no one could imagine the complete amputation of an infant’s foreskin. This is part of the reason that ancient artistic depictions of the infant Jesus show him to be intact. (http://www.drmomma.org/2009/11/jack-black-on-circumcision.html) Of course the fact of Jesus’ circumcision according to the Jewish law was never questioned, but the procedure was one of a slight cutting of the foreskin which left the appearance of an intact organ. Biblical circumcision was a cutting of the foreskin, not a cutting off of the entire prepuce.

2. Rate of death from the modern practice of foreskin amputation is approximately one infant every two days in the US. According to those who have researched documented cases of death where the stated cause is circumcision, approximately every second day a baby boy dies as a result of circumcision complications. The actual number may be far higher, as circumcision is not always listed as the cause of death. Deaths may be attributed to a secondary cause such as infection or bleeding, which would never have occurred without the surgical procedure of cutting off the foreskin. Parents are rarely warned that there is a real risk of death from the trauma, or from the bleeding.

MORBIDITY: Deaths from circumcision and its complications are estimated at 229 per year based on a ratio from a British study. There are about 178 times the number of circumcision deaths than schoolyard violent deaths each year.   http://www.cirp.org/library/statistics/bollinger2004/

3. The US is the only country with high rates of routine infant foreskin removal. Prevalence of circumcision in other countries according to the WHO is ±30% of the total male population. Parents in the US are completely oblivious to the rate of circumcision throughout the world.

“The strange truth is that the U.S. is the sole country in the world where a large majority of its male population is routinely circumcised at birth for non-religious reason.”

“The neonatal circumcision rate peaked in the U.S. in the late 1960s, at around 80-90%. Since then, the procedure has been slowly declining—in part due to the skepticism of parents who no longer place blind faith in the medical establishment and in part due to the profession’s own writings.”

https://matthewtontonoz.com/2015/01/05/why-is-circumcision-so-popular-in-america/

Good news: “The intact rate among newborn males in the U.S. has increased from 15 percent in 1965 to 44.5 percent in 2006. This is an increase of 294 percent.”  http://www.cirp.org/library/statistics/USA//

4. The positive role of the foreskin. The foreskin is an organ that the majority of men in the US have not experienced. “Removing this healthy, vital, fully functioning organ from a non-consenting person will forever change the sexuality of this future adult man and his partner.” The intact foreskin provides external protection, self-cleansing, internal self-protection, immunological protection, antibacterial function, coverage during erection, erogenous sensitivity, sexual functions, and self lubrication. Foreskin removal deprives a man of these benefits. http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/functions-of-foreskin-purposes-of.html

5. There are no health benefits from routine infant foreskin removal. Circumcision has no justifiable benefits and is in fact harmful – from pain and suffering to surgical botches to reduced maternal-child bonding and interfering with breastfeeding. Medical authorities throughout the world consider circumcision medically unnecessary and unethical. Botched circumcisions can cause trauma for boys and men throughout their lives.  https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org

6. Blood loss is a serious risk of routine foreskin amputation, especially for infants. Parents are not adequately warned of this danger. Losing a small amount of blood results in a significant loss of a baby’s total blood volume. “An eight pound baby only needs to lose 1 ounce of blood to hemorrhage, and just 2.3 ounces to die as a result of this blood loss. It can, and does, occur at a frighteningly quick pace.” Smaller babies are even more at risk. http://www.drmomma.org/2010/05/death-from-circumcision.html

7. Baby Foreskin is a highly profitable commodity. Infant foreskins are sold at considerable profits for scientific research, vaccine development, and other consumable uses. Details of the many uses and how to harvest the highly valuable fibroblast cells are discussed here. https://vactruth.com/2017/09/28/foreskin-used-in-vaccines/

8. Baby boys should be like their fathers/brothers/etc.? Performing a surgical amputation is not justified because of a surgical amputation performed on the infant’s father, siblings, or other males. Most of us were taught as children, Two wrongs don’t make a right.

9. Male infants are not able to give informed consent AND the experience is painful and traumatic. The most popular surgical procedure performed on male babies is profoundly stressful, provides no medical benefit, and can impair breastfeeding and thus long-term health, yet it is completely cosmetic.

10. There is no current Biblical imperative for Christians to circumcise their infant. In fact, the imperative is to love and treat others the way you would want to be treated. Part of the parental role is to investigate every single medical procedure recommended for your baby and ask questions. Any procedure that provides an income stream to hospitals, doctors, and research labs is going to be promoted. Get the facts. I encourage you to read the entire letter Paul wrote to the Galatians, especially chapter 5 and 7. Here are the highlights:

“But if I still proclaim circumcision … then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.” 

“I wish that those who are pushing you to do so would mutilate themselves!”

“And even those who advocate circumcision don’t really keep the whole law. They only want you to be circumcised so they can brag about it and claim you as their disciples.” 

“For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.”

Galatians 5:11, 12; 6:13, 15

“Cutting off a functional, protective, and sensitive body part is a far-reaching decision that the vast majority of Europeans believe should be left to its owner when he becomes old enough to understand the consequences. Despite the recent, backward-looking statements by U.S. medical organizations, more and more Americans are beginning to agree.” Morten Frisch, M.D., Danish epidemiologist

“Genital cutting and the amputation of a healthy, functioning body organ from a non-consenting human being is a severe violation of human rights. If we did such a thing to a dog, we would be charged with animal abuse.” http://www.drmomma.org/2010/07/biblical-circumcision-information.html


Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus and truth. As a breastfeeding counselor for over 23 years Becky is devoted to helping parents make wise decisions for the long-term health and wellbeing of their babies.