I saw this article on CNN.com and thought I would share it here. It’s a human interest story about a mother who decided to go against her doctor’s wishes and have a vaginal birth after having had Csections.

Why are you posting about this, Kcurly? you might be asking. Well, this mom has a beautiful head of natural hair. In the article, she appears to a healthy, chunky twistout going on.

Mom defies doctor, has baby her way

On Thursday, December 2, as Aneka sat at home nine months pregnant, the phone rang.

It was her obstetrician wanting to know where the heck she was. Did Aneka forget that today was the day for her cesarean section? How could she have forgotten?

No, Aneka hadn’t forgotten. She hadn’t shown up intentionally.

“She told me, ‘You’re being irresponsible. Your baby could die. You could die,’” Aneka recalls. Then the doctor hung up.

Aneka (she doesn’t want her last name used) had already resolved to not have a C-section, even though the doctor told her it was absolutely necessary. She wasn’t going to be opened up surgically, no matter what her doctor said, no matter what any doctor said.

In some online communities, Aneka is a hero who defied the obstetrical establishment and gave birth her way. To many doctors, however, she’s a risk-taker who put her and her baby in peril by giving birth at home.

‘No, no, no, you can’t do this’

Aneka’s story begins nine years ago with the birth of her first daughter, Nya. After 10 hours of labor, her doctor told her she wasn’t progressing quickly enough, and she needed a C-section.

“I didn’t know any better, so I said OK,” Aneka says.

In a postpartum visit six weeks later, the doctor told her she’d needed the surgery because her hips were too small to pass the baby.

“I thought to myself, what’s she talking about, I don’t have small hips,” Aneka remembers.

Four years later, doctors told Aneka she couldn’t deliver her second child vaginally, since Nya had been delivered by C-section. Studies show when a woman gives birth vaginally after having had a previous C-section, there’s a higher chance her uterus will rupture since she’s pushing against scar tissue.

Then again, when Aneka was pregnant with her third child, son Adasjan, she had a C-section for the same reason.

When she became pregnant with her fourth child, a boy named Annan Ni’em, she expected to have a fourth C-section. But about seven months into her pregnancy, Aneka started to read more about childbirth online, and noticed a documentary by actress Ricki Lake called “The Business of Being Born,” a film released in 2008 that questions the way American women have babies.

I was a little bit angry after watching documentary,” she said. “It made me realize I’d been robbed of the birthing experience. If possible, all women should be allowed to birth naturally.”

“I asked my doctor if I could try delivering vaginally, and she said no,” Aneka says. “I called the hospital and they said they wouldn’t allow it, and I called three other hospitals and they wouldn’t let me deliver vaginally, either.”

The closest hospital that would let her try to deliver vaginally was in Manassas, Virginia, about 90 minutes from her Maryland home. She and her husband, Al, decided that was too far.

So just seven weeks away from her December 1 due date, Aneka contacted the International Cesarean Awareness Network, an advocacy group that promotes vaginal births after cesareans, or VBACs.

“She asked me if I could find someone who would deliver her vaginally,” remembers Bobbie Humphrey, who works with ICAN. “She started to cry because she’d heard ‘no, no, no you can’t do this’ so many times.”

But Humphrey told her yes, that she knew of a midwife who would be willing to deliver her baby at home.

An article in Midwifery Today, written by Barbara Stratton, the National VBAC ban chair for ICAN, lists several approaches women have used to protest a VBAC denial.

On December 5, three days after the C-section that never took place, Annan Ni’em was born at home. He weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces and was delivered after 20 hours of labor, and, she says, just four minutes of pushing. He was completely healthy.

“We were all crying at the delivery,” says Humphrey, a doula who assisted the midwife at the birth. “It was very emotional. I was just so proud of Aneka.”

You can read the rest of the article here if you like.

Side note: Everyone in that family has awesome hair!

I need to tell DH that he will have to do this type of thing with our baby girl when she goes through the teeny bopper stage. This guy had me dying! I think it’s because the kids look so mild and slightly embarrassed  while he’s back there going off!

Is anyone else as excited about this as I am? I’ve actually never seen/read the play, but I’ve heard much about it. The star studded cast of talented African American actresses also has me jumping for joy.

In the cast, we have:

• Whoopi Goldberg as Alice
• Loretta Devine as Juanita
• Kimberly Elise as Crystal
• Janet Jackson as Jo
• Thandie Newton as Tangie
• Phylicia Rashad as Gilda
• Anika Noni Rose as Yasmine
• Kerry Washington as Kelly

I absolutely love Phylicia Rashad and think she’s one of the most beautiful women I ever saw, no matter what age she is. She always has a regal look about her. I would love to see her as a natural, but I’ll take what I can get

November 5th, 2010 is the release date!

So I know a lot of people are sick unto death of Twilight. My stance? Yes, I’ve read the books, I’ve been to the movies. The books I enjoyed, the movies I endured. In the spirit of other parody films (ie Scary Movie), there’s a new Twilight parody called “Vampires Suck”. I think this could appeal to both those who hate and love the series. It looked pretty funny to me!

Vampires Suck Trailer

My DH and I are Lost fans. The moment all Lost fanatics have been waiting for is here! Tonight is the final episode…and it’s ending in a glorious 2 and half hour finale! I have so many unanswered questions and although I’m sure a lot will be answered, I’m almost positive there will still be a lot of “Huh?” from the Lost community.

Here’s a pretty cool video with random people giving their opinions on how it’s all going to end.

Any other Lost fans out there?

The internet is all abuzz with the new Nike commercial featuring a solemn face Tiger blinking into the camera with his father (deceased) speaking in the background. What do you think of this commercial? Is it tactfully done? Or is too soon? Or do you, like me, feel like you’re getting so tired of seeing Tiger’s face everywhere?

Here’s the video, along with a discussion.

Yes, I’m pregnant! I’m extremely early so I’m trying not to get incredibly excited,  but it’s hard not to. By my calculations, I’m due in early December. My first appointment is April 22 and that will also be my first ultrasound. I’ll let you know how it goes, ladies!

From this link. It’s so sweet!

Couple Maintains World Record for Longest Marriage

After 85 years, husband and wife say there’s no secret to their longevity

In a day when marriages begin and end with the greatest of ease, Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher are a rarity. The James City, N.C., husband and wife have been wed 85 years and hold the Guinness World Record for the longest marriage of a living couple.

Banners and signs celebrating that record decorate the front lawn of their ranch-style home. They’ve captured the attention of newspapers, magazines and websites everywhere. And just recently, they received a signed commendation from President Obama with a promise of an official invitation to the White House to meet him.

The hoopla over their accomplishment doesn’t faze them at all. Zelmyra, 101, scorns the idea that there’s some secret to the longevity of their marriage. “No secrets,” she says. “There isn’t any secret. It was only God that kept us together.”

Herbert, 104, is amazed at their longevity. “I didn’t know I would be married this long,” he says. The retired Coca-Cola Bottling Co. mechanic still has a sharp mind, though his hearing is failing. Revered as a hard-working husband and father, Herbert built the family home in 1942, and he and his wife still reside there. His diligence and aggressive saving paid for the college educations of the couple’s five children. They also have 10 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren.

Their granddaughter Iris Godette is responsible for arranging the Guinness recognition. In 2005, after seeing a TV news report about a couple married for 75 years, she was motivated to research how long her grandparents had been hitched. After poring over records at the county Register of Deeds, she found that they had been married for 81 years. But when she submitted an application to Guinness, another couple who had been married just a few months longer held the record. Godette resubmitted the application in 2008, and that year they officially became the world’s longest-married couple still living.

Besides family, God and the church have been ever-present in the Fishers’ lives. They have maintained memberships at separate houses of worship during their marriage. She belongs to Jones Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; he’s a member of Pilgrim Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. Both are in James City, the close-knit community where they grew up together.

Despite separate church memberships, their hearts stay connected. Through the ups and downs of marriage, neither has ever considered divorce. Zelmyra adamantly opposes the idea of divorce and remarriage. “I didn’t know it would be as long as it is now,” she says of her 85 years with the same man. “I knew that I wouldn’t be looking for another husband.”

Zelmyra doesn’t attribute her long, vibrant life to healthy eating, exercise or costly nutritional supplements. Her efforts have been focused on her inner person and building relationships with others. “[You have to] know how to talk to people,” she says. “Try to treat everyone right.”

The centenarians have a loving understanding of each other and enjoy a simple life. They are fond of television news programs, and Herbert especially likes watching his favorite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves. They also take pleasure in sitting on their front porch to watch neighbors come and go and railroad trains whisk by.

“I think it is a blessing first that two people can ultimately love each other, respect each other and still want to be each other’s friend,” Godette says. “These days, you just don’t hear of a couple that stays together so long. They took those vows, ‘till death do us part,’ seriously. They have weathered the storms. There were good times and bad times, but they stuck it out.”

Those bad times include the lean years of the Great Depression when Herbert worked for as little as a nickel a day. They had to raise their own food and ration it for their young children. Perhaps those difficult years bonded and empowered them to remain married for so long.

“They cherish each other,” Godette continues. “If they had to be apart, their lives wouldn’t be as fruitful. … They are connected. They are soul mates.”

I know there is a lot of emotion in the accusations against the Yele organization. Thanks to Shari for emailing me this press conference from Wyclef Jean. It is very touching and (I feel) heartfelt.

Also of interest is some video from Bossip.com that is a personal statement from Wyclef.  You can view that here.

Also, this CNN article gives a good viewpoints of both sides. Of particular interest is the opinion of some tax experts.

In the largest transaction noted by The Smoking Gun, Yele Haiti’s 2006 tax filing said it purchased $250,000 worth of “TV airtime and production services from Telemax, S.A which is a for-profit company located in Haiti and which two board members (Wyclef Jean and co-musician Jerry Duplessis) own a controlling interest in.”

But tax experts say it’s routine for individuals to charge their own charities, so long as services are being provided in return. “The tax rules do not prohibit related party transactions,” said Marcus Owen, former chief of the IRS unit that oversees non-profits.

So anyway, make up your own mind. I won’t be spending anymore time of this particular issue.

I will say that  it is simply amazing, in our economy, that donations have reached over 200 million dollars.

First, and most importantly, God bless the poor souls in Haiti. I won’t be redudant and repost some of the same info that is being highlighted on blogs/forums, but if you are interested in donating and haven’t done so, please visit Fleurtzy’s blog Texture Playground. She has a list of charitable organizations on a recent post. Haiti is/was her home and I know she is hurting right now. Go show her some love and support if you have time

Second, having said all that, be careful of where you give  your money. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unscrupulous people who await opportunities like this to steal money from those who mean well.

Having said all THAT, I must bring to the attention of you generous ladies the recent investigation into Wyclef Jean’s organization.Much as I love that man’s music, articles such as this one are making me somewhat leery of giving money to this particular group. I encourage everyone to make educated choices in what charity you donate to so that the money can actually make it to those in need.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bad talking Wyclef. He is after all a musician and not an accountant. Things could be going on that he has no idea of. However, I don’t see that it makes a difference as long as it is done. Just please be aware.

Finally, and least importantly in the light of all that is going on, I am so very behind on my emails. I am working hard to answer them, so, once again, please be patient with Kcurly.

Take care, much love, and continue to pray for those (here and abroad) in peril and need.