Infant Esoterica:

CONSENSUAL BIRTH PLAN: We did homebirths for both. No meds, no interventions. They went great, wouldn't have changed a thing. Hospital ten minutes away in case we needed it. The important factor is that we CHOSE how we'd give birth. It was fully consensual.

Lack of meds, synthetic oxytocin, pain meds—all that stuff mattered too and if you can skip 'em, it's ideal, but the main thing is engineering a harmonious, celebratory entrance for the kid. That could be in the hospital. That could be at your home.

Figure your plan out.
I won't go into breastfeeding. Obviously you want to do that. To explain fully why would take an entire thread. Maybe later.

Skin-skin contact with both parents is essential. Chest to chest. Doing as as early and often as you can --> lasting connections. https://t.co/1NRK6Z2qAo
DEAD HANGS: From day one, a baby can hold his own weight dangling from a bar. Many ways to test.

Lay them on their back on bed or soft surface, get them to grab your thumbs and start lifting up. They'll come off the ground and relinquish grip when tired. Repeat.
Your baby will just hang fully from your thumbs and drop when done. Do this over a bed, somewhere soft they can safely drop. Expect laughter.

If you do this from day 1 and never stop, you build powerful grip strength. ie normal grip strength, the grip they're meant to have.
CARRYING: We primarily carried our babies everywhere, letting them sit on the forearm close to elbow joint (reduce lever length, avoid bicep tendonitis), giving them opportunity to build postural strength and awareness, neck strength.
Carry in different positions. Slung over shoulder. Sitting on shoulder. Piggy back. Football carry (belly down on forearm, your palm of hand under chest, great for their head control).

Stroller good to have but not exclusively.
A baby is defenseless. First few months is the "4th trimester". Human brains grow so much so fast that we have to come out "early" or else we'd never make it out of the birth canal.

They're adrift in a psychedelic sea of sensory data. You are the anchor as they make sense of it.
Close physical contact in the early months actually sets the kid up to be stronger, more confident, more independent later on. They have the "anchor" and know they can safely navigate the world.

Carrying kids lowers their cortisol, increases mutual oxytocin release.
SUNLIGHT EVERY DAY, NUDE SUNBATHING.

AM sunlight provides infrared light which improves skin UV resilience, helps set circadian rhythm so they sleep better at night.

Midday sunlight provides UVB for vitamin D production.

Suitable dosing depends on ethnicity, skin color, etc.
NATURE EVERY DAY

Trees and plants emit volatile organic compounds to communicate with each other, and we humans can pick up on them (the smells we smell in the forest) and obtain physiological benefits—lower stress, improved immunity. Small humans benefit too.
Babies don't "know" why they like nature. They just do. You're giving them a taste of their evolutionary home-base, their baseline.

Secret to most of this stuff is it's all good for you, too.
ANIMALS: Have pets, preferably dogs. Study after study finds that exposure to dogs in early life improves resistance to allergies and other chronic immune conditions.

Also, dogs make kids happy.
LIGHT AT NIGHT: Don't let baby chill out in the living room late at night with the TV blaring, phone in his face. Blue light/artificial light is just as bad after dark for your baby as it is for you.

Switch house bulbs to warm Edison lights.
Use these: https://t.co/uYTtXQDu72

More from Health

1/16
Why do B12 and folate deficiencies lead to HUGE red blood cells?

And, if the issue is DNA synthesis, why are red blood cells (which don't have DNA) the key cell line affected?

For answers, we'll have to go back a few billion years.


2/
RNA came first. Then, ~3-4 billion years ago, DNA emerged.

Among their differences:
🔹RNA contains uracil
🔹DNA contains thymine

But why does DNA contains thymine (T) instead of uracil (U)?

https://t.co/XlxT6cLLXg


3/
🔑Cytosine (C) can undergo spontaneous deamination to uracil (U).

In the RNA world, this meant that U could appear intensionally or unintentionally. This is clearly problematic. How can you repair RNA when you can't tell if something is an error?

https://t.co/bIZGviHBUc


4/
DNA's use of T instead of U means that spontaneous C → U deamination can be corrected without worry that an intentional U is being removed.

DNA requires greater stability than RNA so the transition to a thymine-based structure was beneficial.

https://t.co/bIZGviHBUc


5/
Let's return to megaloblastic anemia secondary to B12 or folate deficiency.

When either is severely deficient deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP*) production is hindered. With less dTMP, DNA synthesis is abnormal.

[*Note: thymine is the base in dTMP]

https://t.co/AnDUtKkbZh
Let's talk honestly about "informed consent."
Someone with decades of training gives someone with none advice usually packed into 1-3 mins. Huge amount is based on trust. Huge potential for bias built in. But also there is no obligation to provide real alternative options.


I am classified as 'gifted' (obnoxious and ableist term). I mention because of what I am about to say. You all know that I was an ambulatory wheelchair user previously - could stand - but contractures have ended that. When I pleaded for physio, turned down. But did you know...

I recently was chatting with a doctor I know and explaining what happened and the day the physiatrist told me it was too late and nothing could be done. The doctor asked if I'd like one of her friends/colleagues to give second opinion. I said yes please! So...

She said can you send me MRI and other imaging they did to determine it wasn't possible to address your contractures.

Me: What?
Dr.: They did a MRI first before deciding right?
Me: No
Dr: What did they do??!
Me: Examined me for 2 minutes.
Dr: I am very angry rn. Can't talk.

My point is you don't even know if you are making "informed" decisions because the only source of information you have is the person who has already decided what they think you should do. And may I remind you of a word called 'compliance.'

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