Participants: Don Mackintosh, Patti Barnes
Series Code: HFAL
Program Code: HFAL000055
00:46 Hello and welcome to "Health for a Lifetime"
00:48 I'm your host Don Macintosh 00:50 and today, I'm delighted to have Patti Barnes with us. 00:52 Welcome Patti, Thank you Don 00:53 We're glad that you could make it... 00:55 And you have quite a busy life, I hear... Yes, I do 01:00 As a certified professional midwife, 01:03 you don't know what time of 01:04 the day you're going to get called, do you? 01:06 No, or what time of night! 01:09 All right, so you've delivered now over 700, what, you said? 01:14 Over 750 babies in about 15 years, 01:18 and it's a real ministry. 01:22 And that's the title of your new book... 01:23 "The Ministry of Midwifery" a manual, 01:27 and an excellent book, I've really enjoyed 01:31 what I've been able to read of it. 01:34 Today, we're going to talk about something I think 01:36 is very important... "how to have a healthy pregnancy" 01:40 Now I'm sure that this is something that 01:42 you really have a burden for, isn't it? 01:44 Yes Don, I definitely have a burden for pregnant moms to 01:48 have a healthy delivery, and not just for their baby 01:52 but so that they could feel... 01:54 not just feel good during pregnancy, but afterwards! 01:59 It's a lifestyle change for them. 02:01 Now I know your work along with a team of physicians 02:04 in a hospital in your area and different things, 02:07 and you were mentioning to me, before we started here, 02:10 that there are a lot of people that don't' have 02:15 healthy pregnancies and they don't' have prenatal care, 02:18 they don't have those kind of things, 02:19 and this is kind of your ministry to get 02:20 out there, right? Yes 02:22 I want to educate the public on the importance of 02:26 having prenatal care and the importance of 02:31 the lifestyle change and diet change, 02:33 but also to help break prejudice down in the working 02:39 relationship between patients and doctors. 02:42 There are a lot of pregnant mothers that just 02:44 choose not to go in; they don't want to see the doctors 02:48 for some one reason... whether it be finances, 02:51 or just afraid or intimidated... 02:53 and so I try to work on their level, educating them, 02:58 to help them have a healthy pregnancy, 03:01 and also bring them in to have a visit... 03:06 a couple of visits or however often the doctors say 03:09 they need to see them, and to ensure 03:13 the health of the mother and the baby. 03:16 Now in talking about a healthy pregnancy, 03:18 you have 8 principals you're 03:21 going to share with us, I believe. Yes 03:23 And they are covered in your book, 03:25 but I think we also have them here for us as well. 03:28 Let's go through those 03:31 and then maybe you can work us through that. 03:33 Okay, I entitled this the BIRTHING acronym - 8 Laws, 03:39 and we encourage them in the following... 03:54 Okay, well let's talk about those one at a time. 03:56 What about bodily exercise... what do you mean by that? 03:59 And what kind of exercise and why? 04:01 Well, we encourage all of our pregnant moms to get 04:08 a lot of exercise. What do you mean by a lot? 04:11 Start out, if they are not used to exercise, 04:15 they should start out slow; let's just say 30 minutes a day, 04:18 and build maybe to an hour a day walking... 04:21 And, toward the end of their pregnancy, 04:26 they find just have an easy time of maybe not even 04:31 going 5-8 miles a day. ... 5-8 miles a day? Yes 04:37 Most of my pregnant moms... I have a small mountain 04:40 behind my house and they'll come and walk up... 04:44 it's about 1,200 foot mountain, it's not very big, 04:48 but towards the end, they're just taking that with no sweat. 04:52 Really? So how long does it take them to do that 04:54 mountain of 5-8 miles? 04:56 Well the mountain, they'd probably take about 45 minutes 05:02 one way. One way? Okay 05:05 So walking then? 05:06 Walking is probably the best exercise for pregnant moms. 05:10 Gardening is very good... just by stooping and 05:16 squatting and working in the garden helps 05:24 strengthening your leg muscles. 05:26 It tones up your muscles and open your pelvic cavity, 05:30 and it gets you ready. 05:32 You see, the pregnant mom needs to be in good physical shape. 05:36 She needs to have stamina for the birth, 05:41 and be in good condition. 05:44 Are there any hormones or anything that would not be 05:47 stimulated if you didn't exercise as well? 05:50 Well, there's a hormone that is stimulated by exercise. 05:56 It's in your endorphins and your endorphin level is 05:59 brought up... I think it can be increased by 60% 06:04 if you have good exercise and endorphin acts 06:09 as natural pain killer in your body. 06:12 So, you know what the Bible talks about in Exodus 1:15-18 06:17 ...it talks about the Hebrew women having easy deliveries 06:21 quick and easy and I believe they were in good physical shape 06:25 Whereas the Egyptian moms, they didn't evidently. 06:28 Probably they had maybe a lot of maid service. 06:33 So, get out there and walk in the fresh air, 06:36 do some gardening... these types of exercises are the best. Yes 06:41 And I tell my pregnant moms, you know, they like to walk around 06:44 in shopping malls... and sure, that's getting exercise, 06:48 but it's not the same; it's not stress-free. 06:50 It's not in the open outdoors. It's not stress-free for them 06:53 as well as their husbands because if they're in the mall 06:55 there are other problems that develop. That's very true. 06:57 I mean, not with my wife, of course, 06:58 but maybe not with most of the wives watching. 07:03 What about the fathers, is it important for him to exercise? 07:06 I encourage the fathers to walk with them because 07:09 I know that if they take an interest, 07:12 that they will encourage my pregnant moms to 07:18 do this every day to be a part of their lifestyle. 07:21 And toward the end, like I said, they feel SO good 07:24 that after they have the baby, they say, 07:27 "When can I walk again?" 07:28 It just feels so good, they 07:30 don't want to change their lifestyle. 07:31 And their pre-pregnant weight, comes back to them faster. 07:39 Okay... so they won't have the problem with 07:42 keeping on the extra pounds and different things 07:44 if they have a lifestyle of that. 07:45 It tones up their uterus and their muscles, 07:49 and prepares them for the birth which is 07:51 just like running a marathon. 07:53 What about the pure air? That's the second thing 07:56 "Inhale pure air" that you had on your list. 07:58 Well, with walking, of course, we encourage it to be outside 08:02 so that they can inhale the pure air. 08:05 It's good for their circulation for the mother and the baby. 08:09 It encourages regularity and it helps indigestion. 08:19 Also, when we're talking about just practicing 08:26 deep-breathing exercises while they're outside because 08:29 when they're in labor, we encourage what we call, 08:33 controlled breathing or slow breathing, 08:38 not the fast breathing. 08:40 So they don't hyperventilate... Right 08:42 Don't have as much oxygen that goes, maybe, 08:45 to the baby or something, is that why? 08:46 Well, if they do the fast breathing to help comfort 08:53 or ease the pain of the contractions, 08:56 not only could they hyperventilate, 08:59 they can get dizzy and they don't have enough energy. 09:03 You know, they last longer with slow diaphragm breathing. 09:08 So we encourage that... 09:10 They practice that beforehand. Yes 09:13 And we also have their husbands to know how to help them 09:17 during labor with the breathing, because when they get 09:20 to a point where they just 09:22 feel like they can't do it anymore, 09:25 all they have to do just have their husbands say... 09:27 "Well just follow me and I'll help you breathe" 09:31 So how soon do you start this part of it, 09:33 teaching the breathing? 09:35 Well, anytime before labor and delivery, 09:39 but we like to probably around 7 months. 09:43 The next thing you have on your list is REST! 09:45 Why is rest important and how much? 09:48 Well, of course, we tell our mothers that every hour 09:53 before midnight is worth 2 after. 09:55 And, do you know that as they're carrying the baby in utero, 10:01 in the uterus, that it's very important that they establish 10:04 regular hours for their baby. 10:07 Before they're born. Before they are born because 10:10 if they stay up all night, then you'll probably have a baby 10:13 that's going to stay up all night. 10:15 Do you think my baby will stay up all night? 10:16 If your wife stays up all night. 10:18 No, she doesn't, she goes to bed early. Good 10:20 So you're establishing a regular pattern already for your baby. 10:25 Now, I'd like the baby to sleep during church too... 10:27 so should she start sleeping during church? 10:29 Probably not. No 10:33 But a regular pattern.. 10:35 just a regular pattern because this baby can even 10:38 sense, through the uterine wall, light and darkness. 10:43 Sounds - it can hear your voice. It can hear music. 10:49 And it's important that the baby already gets 10:54 established with a regular schedule. 10:57 Okay, what about temperance? 10:59 What does that have to do with a healthy pregnancy? 11:03 Well, of course, we encourage not over-exercising, 11:09 not to get too much sunshine or to oversleep. 11:16 But temperance also includes abstinence. 11:20 And so, I would encourage all pregnant moms not to smoke, 11:28 not to drink alcohol, drugs. 11:32 And so, we would encourage abstaining from those things. 11:35 What does alcohol, smoking, and drugs do to the pregnancy? 11:40 Well, of course, that would be considered damaging for the 11:44 newborn baby; for example, like smoking, 11:49 there's a higher risk of ADHD 11:51 which is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 11:56 and SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome. 12:02 There is a larger percent on smokers, 12:05 and they are also of smaller 12:08 gestational weight for their size. 12:12 They don't have enough of amniotic fluid or enough 12:16 whatever that they need to carry the baby or... 12:19 It can cause some damage there with smoking, 12:23 and they're smaller and their lungs would be more 12:26 underdeveloped. 12:27 I've heard some physicians and others talk about 12:30 the fact that they shouldn't really be eating chocolate, 12:32 is that right or wrong, according to you... 12:35 What's your opinion on it? 12:37 You mean the caffeine in the chocolate? Yes 12:40 Well I just find that more of my pregnant moms that 12:45 have the caffeine intake, they would have more 12:50 heart sensitivity, and if they don't sometimes their babies do. 12:55 And I could pick it up just maybe some heart murmurs. 13:00 You know, I could always tell when they 13:01 had a piece of chocolate or... 13:03 You mean a murmur, or do you mean it just speeds up 13:06 or palpitations? Heart palpitations. 13:10 So that's something else to avoid. 13:13 Anything else... temperance, someone had said once, 13:16 and let's see if you agree with this is "total abstinence from 13:20 that which is harmful but the moderate use of 13:22 that which is good"... Is that a good definition? 13:24 That's a good definition. Okay 13:27 Well, let's talk a little bit more about 13:30 this next one that you have down... 13:32 We've talked about bodily exercise. 13:34 We've talked about pure air. 13:35 We've talked about rest. 13:37 Oh, I forgot to ask you about rest... How much rest? 13:40 Oh, well, we encourage about 7 or 8 hours a night. 13:48 But, Don, toward the end of pregnancy, 13:51 you never know when they're going to go into labor, 13:55 and I could say as a midwife, 13:57 most of my calls would be at 2 o'clock in the morning. Great! 14:02 So if they had a hard day and they worked real hard, 14:09 got a lot of exercise, and then went to bed so tired, 14:13 and then got up in an hour or 2 and went into labor, 14:15 they're already starting off tired. 14:17 So I do encourage, towards the end of pregnancy, 14:20 maybe taking short naps. 14:21 Short naps, more rest as the pregnancy goes on 14:25 just to be ready. Right 14:26 Yes, well that makes excellent sense. 14:30 Well let's go to the next one that you had here. 14:33 We have bodily exercise, inhale pure air, rest, temperance, 14:37 and hydrotherapy! 14:40 Talk to me a little bit about that. 14:41 Okay, hydrotherapy includes external and internal. 14:45 So we talked about why it's important to 14:48 drink a lot of water... 6-8, 10 glasses. Right 14:54 Not just for the mother, but for the baby because 14:56 the amniotic fluid, but also for external use. 15:02 Not to mention just cleanliness but we use hydrotherapy in labor 15:09 for comfort measures. 15:11 We do hot towels on the back and abdomen, 15:16 or wherever the pain is... the contractions. 15:21 And/or they could labor, I'm not saying having the baby, 15:26 but they could labor in the bathtub... 15:29 And just the warm water eases the contractions 15:34 because every time we do hydrotherapy 15:37 on them while they are in labor, they always say, 15:40 "Ohh, this feels so good" 15:42 ...and it cuts the pain, they say about, 15:45 this is what they tell me, about 50% 15:50 Well that's interesting! 15:51 We've been talking to Patti Barnes 15:54 and we've been looking at how to have a healthy pregnancy. 15:57 Patti has just written a new book and she's sharing 15:59 some of the wealth of experience from the last 15 years. 16:02 When we come back, we're going to be talking 16:04 to her a little bit more about water. 16:06 I find that there are some interesting facts 16:09 about the water that's inside; 16:10 we've talked about the water that's outside. 16:11 We'll go through the rest of these 8 Laws of Health. 16:13 You might want to get a pen to jot down 16:15 some of these facts and this information or call a friend. 16:19 We hope that you join us when we come back. 16:27 Have you found yourself wishing that you could shed a few pounds 16:30 Have you been on a diet for most of your life, 16:33 but not found anything that will really keep the weight off? 16:35 If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions, 16:38 then we have a solution for you that works! 16:41 Dr. Hans Diehl and Dr. Aileen Ludington 16:44 have written a marvelous booklet called... 16:46 "Reversing Obesity Naturally" 16:49 and we'd like to send it to you FREE of charge. 16:51 Here's a medically sound approach successfully used 16:54 by thousands who are able to eat more and lose weight 16:57 permanently without feeling guilty or hungry 17:00 through lifestyle medicine. 17:02 Dr. Diehl and Dr. Ludington have been featured on 3ABN, 17:05 and in this booklet, they present a sensible approach 17:08 to eating, nutrition and lifestyle changes 17:11 that can help you prevent heart disease, diabetes, 17:13 and EVEN cancer. 17:15 Call or write today for your free copy of... 17:17 "Reversing Obesity Naturally" 17:18 and you could be on your way to a healthier, happier YOU! 17:22 It's absolutely free of charge, so call or write today. 17:28 Welcome back, we've been talking with Patti Barnes 17:32 She is a certified professional midwife, 17:34 and she has delivered quite a few babies, 17:36 and we're looking at the 8 Laws 17:39 for having a healthy pregnancy, isn't that right? 17:41 And I told you I was going to ask you a question 17:43 when we came back, and that is, 17:44 what about the water on the inside? 17:46 A little bit more about that. 17:47 We talked about water on the outside for pain relief, 17:50 and for soothing them... 17:52 What about the water on the inside? 17:53 Well, they need to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day 17:59 because it's very important that they stay well-hydrated, 18:02 not just for the mother but for the baby... 18:04 because the amniotic sac is filled with amniotic fluid, 18:10 around 1000 mL of fluid, at least not over 1200 mL of fluid 18:19 So it's got water there in the sac... Yes 18:21 And about 30% of it is replaced every 3 hours, 18:26 and it's very important that they drink enough water 18:30 ...the baby moves freely 18:33 in the amniotic fluid and is protected by the amniotic fluid, 18:37 and the umbilical cord that is attached to the baby 18:41 and the placenta is protected so that it doesn't get pinched. 18:46 If they didn't have enough fluid and the umbilical cord 18:50 could get pinched off, it would cut off the oxygen supply 18:55 to the baby or nutrition. 18:58 So if they're going to get up during this program 18:59 and get something, it's best to go get a glass of water... 19:02 Go get a glass of water and come back, right? Yes 19:04 And drink that! 19:06 Well, the next thing you have on your list here, 19:07 on the 8 Laws is sunshine. 19:09 What is the benefit of sunshine? 19:11 What can we learn about that? 19:12 Well sunshine destroys harmful bacteria, 19:17 and strengthens your immune, builds white blood cells, 19:20 strengthens your immune, and just basically 19:24 being out in the sunshine if you can every day 19:27 is very good for the mother and the baby. 19:30 Can you get too much sun? 19:31 You can, yes, you have to be temperate in all things. 19:34 You can get too much sun. 19:36 And how do you know when you're getting too much? 19:38 Well, you wouldn't want to get a sunburn. 19:44 But just being out, like I said... 19:47 you know, when you're going for a walk, 19:50 they start out 30 minutes a day and they might build to an hour, 19:53 but it doesn't have to be... sure, it should be outdoors, 19:59 but it doesn't have to be right in the sun. 20:02 It could be under the trees or shade. 20:05 I noticed something in your pamphlet, 20:08 which I think is also from your book, by Dr. Bradley 20:11 about sunlight, that really interested me as well. 20:15 Something about the birthing process itself in sunlight. 20:18 Yes, they say that there is increased evidence that 20:25 sunlight reduces... or INCREASES the flexibility, I'm sorry, 20:34 ...increases the flexibility of tissue so that 20:37 you would have less tearing during delivery. 20:40 So being out there for whatever reason, in the sun, 20:43 does a lot of real positive things... Right 20:46 Sun lamp just as good? 20:48 No, I feel like the natural is best. 20:52 Well, let's talk about the next one on your list, 20:57 and I know you want to talk about this a bit, 20:59 and that's NUTRITION. 21:02 Yes, nutrition is a very important part of pregnancy 21:07 because in order to have a healthy baby, 21:13 we need to be very careful about what we eat, 21:16 and there's a really good statement 21:19 out of "Adventist Home" that says the following... 22:02 And this is "Adventist Home," page 257 22:05 All right, that's a mom who had 4 children and 22:09 gave a lot of wise counsel as well. Yes 22:11 Well you know, that's such a common thing though... 22:14 I hear it all the time, "Well, she's pregnant" 22:17 So she can have this or have that, 22:19 and the counsel there given and what you're recommending as well 22:22 is... no that's not really wise. Right 22:25 You shouldn't trust your cravings, 22:28 but just go by sound sense, 22:31 and it's important that we get a good variety, 22:37 and a healthful diet and we wouldn't be so concerned... 22:42 Now you were talking to me a little bit earlier, 22:44 and you said that the people that come to you know that. 22:46 They know that's your feeling, so you don't get 22:47 people that want to be unhealthful. 22:50 They're the ones that are saying... 22:51 "Hey, tell me what I need to eat and what I need to do. " 22:54 I think you have a list of some of those foods 22:56 that you recommend to your moms. Yes, I do. 23:00 We emphasize a lot of dark leafy green vegetables 23:06 because as we go through some of these food sources, 23:09 we can see that it's listed in about all of 23:12 the vitamins and minerals that we need... 23:14 For example, calcium and folic acid and iodine and iron. 23:23 Leafy greens are very important. 23:25 Of course there's a list of other foods involved here, 23:28 and I know that this has good vegan food sources, 23:33 not that I'm recommending all my mothers to be vegan, 23:36 it's just that a lot of them that I work with already are. 23:38 So there are a lot of things... that didn't look like a 23:41 list of deprivation at all. 23:42 I mean under each one, you had ALL KINDS of different 23:45 things they could eat. Yes! 23:46 There is a whole bunch of nutritious foods... 23:49 Do you find that you educate your moms 23:51 on how to cook and different things while 23:53 they're pregnant. Do you do that? Yes! 23:55 Well, we have a cookbook we give them to help guide them 23:59 to nutritious food and... 24:02 Is that part of your book that you've been working on now, 24:04 do you have the cooking tips 24:05 in there and different things as well? 24:06 No, this is basically just a manual and information 24:09 on how to obtain a healthy diet. 24:12 So you mentioned green leafy vegetables... 24:15 Now you know when I was in nurses' training 24:17 and I had to take my exam for that, any nutrition question 24:21 on there, when I didn't know the answer and there was the option 24:23 of green leafy vegetables, I would pick it, 24:25 and it would always be right. 24:27 Green leafy vegetables! That's right! 24:30 So always green leafy vegetables is that a good recommendation? 24:36 Yes it is, because it has a lot of vitamins and minerals 24:39 that our body needs. Very healthy for you! 24:43 Excellent! Anything else about nutrition we need to know? 24:46 Just that you need to make sure 24:49 that they get 3 meals a day for the baby. 24:53 A lot of women ask me if fasting is okay, 24:56 but I feel like that if you eat a healthy diet, 25:02 that you don't need to be SO concerned about 25:05 your weight gain. 25:07 So there's really no need to fast. 25:09 No need to fast... Eat regular meals. 25:11 Let's say that they're real nauseous... 25:12 I mean, usually the first part of pregnancy 25:14 or different things, what do you do for that? 25:16 Well, you would just recommend to them 25:21 not to be so concerned about eating enough at first 25:27 just as long as they eat nutritious, you know, 25:30 some more of a bland on a blander diet that they can 25:34 hold in and sipping a peppermint tea will help. 25:39 When they wake up in the morning maybe taking some 25:42 ginger root capsules will help control the nausea. 25:47 So that works for a lot of your moms, ginger root and peppermint 25:52 Excellent, now what about when they're very, very pregnant, 25:55 and it doesn't seem like there is enough room there, 25:56 the stomach is all compressed. What do they do? 25:58 Do they have any problems with that ever? 25:59 Yes, sometimes they will complain of indigestion problems 26:05 when they are full-term because the uterus is actually 26:09 pushing up against the stomach. 26:11 And so, we encourage a high fiber diet too, 26:16 so that it won't contribute to constipation. 26:22 And drinking a lot of water to help with indigestion... BUT 26:26 NOT to drink with their meals 26:29 because then that would help their stomach. 26:32 I see, so they don't fill it up with everything else, I see. 26:36 You know you call this a ministry for yourself, 26:40 and you know, of course, it reminds you of God's Word. Right 26:42 Do you share God's Word with people as you are in their homes 26:45 as you are ministering to them? 26:46 Yes, we always pray with all of our clients. 26:51 They have concerns and we try 26:55 to encourage them in God's Word. 26:57 How do you do that? 26:58 What are some favorite texts or maybe a favorite text 27:01 that you like to share with pregnant moms. 27:03 Well, "God has not given us the spirit of fear, 27:07 but power, love and a SOUND mind. " 27:10 I find that Christians have the most peaceable births 27:14 that I've ever seen. 27:15 That's a great promise! 27:17 A sound mind... you want that not only for yourself, 27:20 but for your baby as well, right? Um hm 27:22 We've been talking with Patti Barnes. 27:25 She's a certified professional midwife; 27:27 delivered hundreds of babies, has a great peace in 27:30 helping others and has a great peace in the Lord, 27:33 a real calming effect today as my wife and I are expecting 27:37 a baby, just talking with her, 27:38 and that's really girded on God's Word. 27:41 Remember that those 8 Laws of Health can really help you 27:44 as you remember them. 27:45 They are in her new book. 27:46 We hope that what you've learned today will give you 27:50 peace in your own walk with the Lord and as you 27:53 think of brining this new baby into the world, 27:55 we hope that you have health and they have health 27:58 that lasts for a lifetime! |
Revised 2014-12-17