WHO’S HOT? & WHO’S NOT! JULY 2013 ISSUE

WHO’ S HOT? & WHO’ S NOT!

JULY 2013 WHWNMAGAZINE.COM

Saluting

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SUMMER 2013

Dr. Alan Greene,

Winner of the June 2013 WHO’S HOT! Award

CAYENNE S HYBRID 380 hp @ 5.500 0 - 60 mph: 6.1s Top Track Speed: 150 mph Consumption (Highway): 24 mpg MSRP $ 69,850.00

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the oil filter, for example, all that’s replaced is an easily recyclable paper element. The oil filter casing remains on the car.

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Thanks to single-spark coils on each of the cylinders, the entire ignition system on the petrol-engined models, with the exception of the spark plugs, is maintenance-free. These modest service requirements mean less waste disposal and fewer demands on natural resources. They also lower the cost of ownership while keeping your car on the road.

Service intervals for the Cayenne models are dependent on a range of factors, including local fuel quality. For full details of service intervals in your country, please consult the relevant price list or contact your Porsche Centre. Owning a Porsche should be a lasting pleasure with minimal impact on the environment. This Porsche principle can be summed up in one word: sustainability. The lightweight exhaust on the Cayenne models, for example, is constructed from longlife stainless steel.

Every Porsche model is entirely free of CFCs and components manufactured using CFCs. All legal requirements in respect of recoverability are fulfilled. Materials are clearly labeled for subsequent identification and sorting to facilitate efficient recycling. While more than 95% of the car can be recycled using current technologies, the chances are your Cayenne may never need recycling at all. After all, two thirds of all the cars we have ever made are still on the road today.

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____________________________

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER: Myeshia “Mia” Abdul-Hakeem

Special Thanks to Our Supporters

Dr. Alan Greene Birth Roots Babies DJ E.F. Cuttin Broome Family Foundation (BFF) Baby, Bump & Beyond, LLC

Outstanding Jazz Newcomers (OJN)

Nika Water American Awards ARapperNamedBilal Starbucks, Lemon Grove, CA James “Sugar Bear” Cole Porsche Location

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ASSISTANT DESIGN DIRECTOR

Bilal Abdul-Hakeem ____________________________ CONTENT SUBMISSIONS & INTERVIEWS: Byzantine Flower Jill Peters DJ E.F. Cuttin NLAH ___________________________ Photographers: mia Bilal Abdul-Hakeem ___________________________ Advertisers: American Awards Nika Water, Jordan Mueller Baby, Bump & Beyond Byzantine Flower Porsche Starbucks, Lemon Grove, CA DJ E.F. Cuttin Broome Family Foundation (BFF)

Copyright © 2008 - 2013 by Who’s Hot? & Who’s Not!. All rights reserved . Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Who’s Hot? & Who’s Not! ® is a registered trademark of Who’s Hot? & Who’s Not! Published electronically all over the world.

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CONTENTS

WHO’S HOT? & WHO’S NOT! ISSUE 9 // SUMMER 2013

WHWNMAGAZINE.COM

• Who are Birth Roots (Babies)? // pg. 9 • The Circle of Life Continues: Goat-Scaping Protects Airport, Frogs and Snakes from Fires //pg. 14

FEATURE STORY: Winner of the June 2013 WHO’S HOT! Award, •

Dr. Alan Greene

and his Ground breaking Book, “Feeding Baby Green” // pg. 16 •

The Spotlight is On:

The Floating Doctors and Why You Should Help Support Their Cause // pg. 21 • How a Two Contraction Break Prevented Medical Intervention // pg. 24 • California Families for Access to Midwives & Their Petition for Medical Sponsored Home Births // pg. 10

ON THE COVER: Dr. Alan Greene, winner of the June 2013 WHO’S HOT! Award. Presented by Mia Abdul Hakeem at the P.A.M. Event May 5, 2013 in Santa Monica, CA. Photo by Bilal Abdul Hakeem, all photos are copyright protected, with all rights reserved©.

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Dr. Alan Greene

is the winner of the June 2013 WHO’S HOT! Award for his excellent book, “Feeding Baby Green.”

WHWNMAGAZINE.COM

CONGRATUALTIONS...

Birth Roots Babies is the recipient

of a breast feeding doll to help support families learn to breast feed their new arrivals.

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A Note from the Editor We really hope you enjoy our magazine. We are a novel magazine in concepts and goals, though our mission is shared by millions world wide, i.e., how do we improve the lives of others? We pride ourselves in the fact that this magazine is published on 100% recyclable digital materials and leaves no carbon footprint. Therefore we are expanding minds while minimizing waste on the planet. We get flack for not creating a printed magazine, but our motto is, “Let’s be around forever! Just not in landfills or as wasted resources.” We hope that while you are enjoying the magazine that your mind is filled with useful ways to keep our planet green and or it helps you get into contact with a person or organization that will help you improve the lives of countless others. We only ask two things: that you share our site and publication with others, lastly that you ask yourself before throwing something away, “Can this be reused or recycled?”

Namaste, Mia

B

irth Roots offers services, support and options for women and their families during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.

We strive to empower women and their families to make informed decisions for their own health care. We want to create a cohesive relationship between ourselves and the families that we serve. Communication and continuity of care are a must. Our goal is to leave families happy, informed and ready to take on the world! Supporting women and babies is a passion of ours that brings great joy to our lives.

At Birth Roots Women’s Health and Maternity Center we offer prenatal care, labor and birth for women choosing to give deliver at the birth center, postpartum and lactation visits, classes, groups and more! We are also proud to offer home birth services, as well as monitrice and doula services for women planning to give birth in the hospital.

Please visit them at birthrootsbabies.com Location: Birth Roots Women’s Health & Maternity Center 236 F Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910 (619) 409-4900 9

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Birth Roots Supports California Families for Access to Certified Midwives Here’s a bit more about California Families for Access to Midwives and ways you can get involved. ​All California Families Deserve Access to Midwives We believe -- as is confirmed by a small but growing body of research -- that midwives are an indispensable part of an optimally functioning maternity care system. Licensed midwives provide high quality, comprehensive care, and together, we can ensure that all California families can access this care if they so desire. ​Mobilizing California Families To Support Midwives It may surprise you to learn that our beautiful state, which has traditionally placed great emphasis on health, is woefully behind when it comes to maternity care. The California laws regulating licensed midwives are behind the curve, and create unnecessary barriers to the kind of integrated care that has been shown to produce the best outcomes for mothers and babies. Thus, CFAM is mobilizing California families to voice their support for the immeasurable value of midwifery care, and to galvanize the legislature to finally bring our laws into the 21st century. Specifically, we are working to identify, support, and develop legislation that will:​ •

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Require Medi-Cal to cover licensed midwives and out-of-hospital birth options so that all mothers, regardless of income level, can choose midwifery care for themselves and their families.

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•

Authorize state licensure for freestanding birth centers operated by licensed midwives, which will increase the availability of out-of-hospital birth options across the state.

•

Ensure that California complies with the Affordable Care Act by covering licensed midwives and out-of-hospital birth options in all health plans included in the Covered California health exchange.

Ways You Can Help Get your friends involved! Please invite your friends to learn more - share our signup form here.

We also encourage you to take action - learn more about our current action alert here. If you are willing to host a training session in your community, let us know and we’ll send someone over to tell you all about our campaign and give you additional guidance. Please join us on Facebook and help spread the news of our current action alerts in your own community. ​ inally, we welcome you to support our efforts by making a financial contribution of any amount. You F can donate online here, or you can mail a check to California Families for Access to Midwives c/o Jennifer Heystek, 161 Georgia Way, San Leandro, California 94577. Please note, however, that due to our extensive legislative advocacy efforts, donations to CFAM do not meet the criteria for tax deduction. ​ ike many of you, I wear several hats over the course of my day, but my most important job, by far, is beL ing a parent. When I decided on a planned home with birth the support of Licensed Midwives, I did so after considerable research and deliberation. Our campaign is not about getting every woman in California to give birth at home or in a birth center; it’s about giving every woman the option, and letting her decide for herself. I hope you will join us on this journey. Thank you so much for your support. ​Sincerely,

Adeola Adeseun, Esq. California Families for Access to Midwives 161 Georgia Way San Leandro, CA 94577

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Please

do not forget that the Broome Family Foundation (BFF) has two programs that are currently in need of funding. The first is the “At Risk for Success 2015 Initiative” which educates and places the youth of LA with entrepreneurial businesses to give the youth a head start on how to succeed in running their own business.

The second program is “Hope4Families.”Hope4Families serves low-income Special Education students who have been denied their right to an appropriate public education.

Through advocacy and legal action, Hope4Families equips poor, urban families with the tools to access the education that is crucial if their children are to have lives of purpose. To make a donation or for more information, please contact Conley Broome at conley.broome@gmail.com Namaste

LEMON GROVE COMMUNITY CLEAN UP PROJECT ********************************************************** In an effort to create a clean and safe environment for our neighborhood Lemon Grove Starbucks would like you to join us to clean the sidewalks of Broadway Avenue.

********************************************************** WHEN: The Last Saturday of the Month 2pm to 4pm WHERE: Meeting at the Lemon Grove Starbucks, 7801 Broadway, Lemon Grove, CA 91945 ********************************************************** Last month with the help of 40 volunteers from St. John’s Cross, Golden Avenue Middle School, St. Rita’s, local city officials, regular customers and Starbucks employees were able to remove graffiti, clean store front windows, pick up trash and connect with our neighbors. I hope to get to know even more of our community while we beautify our neighborhood.

Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Special thanks to WHO’S HOT? & WHO’S NOT!® Magazine for media support.

The Circle of Life Continues: Goat-Scaping Protects Airport, Frogs and Snakes from Fires

By NLAH

I

n our September 2012 issue, we reported how goats have become the latest environmentally healthy way for businesses to clear fire causing bushes from their property. In recent news, San Francisco International Airport just hired 400 goats to clear their grounds of the fire hazard overgrowth, while protecting the San Francisco garter snake and the California red-legged frog from machines and humans, who would not doubt endanger the lives of these protected species.

Using a small family ran business called, “Goats R Us,” owners Terri Oyarzun, her husband Egon and their son Zephyr have 4,000 goats they lend for goat scaping. When the goats are not in use at the airport, they are used on the side of California’s freeways, at state parks, under longdistance electric lines and anywhere else with overgrown vegetation.

“We’re pleased with our organic process for weed abatement,” said airport spokesman Doug Yakel. And rightfully so! As efforts like this will continue to help make our planet a better place.

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STOP

Before You Throw Away Try Recycling Everyday Items

SAVE OUR PLANET

Dr. Alan Greene, Winner of the June 2013 WHO’S HOT! Award!

By Mia Abdul-Hakeem

I have been given the privilage to speak to Dr. Alan Greene on a few occassions. The first was when I was pregnant with my first child in 2011 at the Natural Baby Pros Fair in San Diego, CA.

As the key not speaker, he gave a powerful speech that resonated with all the parents attending the event. Then gave us each an autographed copy of his book, «Feeding Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Program for Healthy, Safe Nuttrition During Pregnancy, Childhood, and Beyond.»

Month (P.A.M.) Event in Santa Monica, CA to present him with the June 2013 WHO›S HOT! award.

Here is our conversation: WHWN: How great has the positive feedback from «Feeding Baby Green» felt? Any examples?

Dr. Greene: One of the most gratifying things in my life has been hearing from parents all over the world about how “Feeding Baby Green” has helped them raise adventurous eaters who love great food. It’s bittersweet when I hear from parents who discovered this after

His landmark, thought provoking their first child: this underlines how well and award winning book, gave me a great foundation to feed my family green. it works, but makes me more determined than ever to help get the word out!

Dr. Greene came into our lives at the precise moment we needed him. My WHWN: Has there been any negative daughter demands apples, bananas, or responses? If so, which one stands out whatever she sees, by name, while we the most? shop in the produce department. She Dr. Greene: When I’ve talked about turns her nose up at processed foods “Feeding Baby Green” on television, I’ve and covets here vegtables, spices and had conventional baby food manufacturgrass fed-meats. ers counter that the way most Americans

On May 5, 2013, pregnant with are feeding babies is fine. But clearly my second child we meet up with it’s not. Taste preferences are set early.

Dr. Greene at the Pregnancy Awareness The most common vegetable older kids 18

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eat in the US is the French fry. And the most common fruit is apple juice. Kids and parents are so happy when children learn to love the real food their bodies need.

WHWN: Will there be a sequel? Or do you have another book in the works?

Dr. Greene: I’ve got a few things in the works, and would love to hear what your readers would most like me to write about.

WHWN: Shifting gears a little, what do you love about your job?

Dr. Greene: Sometimes I feel like John Muir who helped people see the wonder of Yosemite. I get to help people see the wonder of something even more amazing: their kids. And as a pediatrician in private practice, I love being there at a family’s moment of need and being there at regular moments along the way as children grow up.

WHWN: That is awesome! What current projects can we expect to see from you?

Dr. Greene: At DrGreene.com I’ve been answering parents’ questions since 1995. Picking from among all the questions that come in those that are most common or that I found most compelling.

But I’m turning that around to answer every day the question that gets the most ‘likes’ by readers - so that if someone feels urgent about their question, or if lots of people care about a question, they have the power to get it answered.

I’m very excited about this.

our children are fed. (And changed the way medicine is practiced.)

WHWN: How does winning the WHO’S HOT? award make you feel?

Dr. Greene: I grinned ear to ear when I heard! feel honored and humbled - and excited about the opportunity to keep spreading the word. And the award itself is gorgeous! Thank you so much.

WHWN: I›m sure I speak for many parents when I say, No, Thank You for your life long dedication to helping feed the world green!

For more information Greene, please DrGreene.com.

on Dr. visit

WHWN: What legacy do you want to leave behind?

Dr. Greene: I’d love to be remembered as someone who helped change the way 19

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LET’S WHITE OUT AMERICA. End Junk Food For Babies!

“What’s in this book could change the trajectory of children’s health.”

Julius Richmond, MD Former U.S. Surgeon-General Buy Feeding Baby Green!

HE POTLIGHT

“When enough people each do a little suddenly the world can be transformed.� Donate Monthly

Mission The ent

Floating Doctors Mission is to reduce the and future burden of disease in the developing and to promote improvements in health care delivery worldwide.

presworld,

Our Goals Include: Providing free acute and preventative health care services and delivering donated medical supplies to isolated areas.

Reducing child and maternal mortality through food safety/prenatal education, nutritional counseling and clean water solutions.

Studying and documenting local systems of health care delivery and identifying what progress have been made, what challenges remain, and what solutions exist to improve health care delivery worldwide.

Using the latest communications technologies to bring specialist medical knowledge to the developing world, and to share our experiences with the global community and promote cooperation in resolving world health care issues.

Bringing medical relief to remote coastal communities of the world‌ Please visit them at www.floatingdoctors.com Please follow them at @floatingdoctors

Before You

Throw Away That Soda Bottle

R

emember that NIKA is a social business. That means that the more successful we are, the more we can give back. It also means that for our cause to gain awareness, our supporters need to be social and speak up about it. Are you a supporter? Have you told your friends to check us out online and in stores?

A cause is only as strong as the carriers of its message.

A Thirst for Change, by Nika Water co-founders, Jeff and Linda Church, was just released in both hard cover and soft cover! This book chronicles the Nika story from idea to fast growing company. It also shows through “Do’s” and “Don’ts” how YOU can participate in the new wave of social entrepreneurialism. Nika wants to offer it as a special to you, just for the holidays. Find the soft cover at amazon. com and20% off the hard cover at nikawater.org

“Linda and Jeff Church are compelling examples of how NIKA has certainly not “waited” their turn to make a difference in the world. Through a combination of a passion for water sanitation worldwide and a gift for making change, Linda and Jeff’s book sparks each reader’s imagination for a better world.

A Thirst For Change serves as the perfect addition to any leader’s toolkit for social entrepreneurship, as well as encouragement for making their dreams a reality. We are proud to stand beside NIKA as they tackle their creative solution for clean water for all.”

MARC and CRAIG KIELBURGER Founders, Free The Children

23 www.whwnmagazine.com WHO’S HOT? & WHO’S NOT! WHO’S

HOT? & WHO’S NOT!

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How a Two Contraction Break

Prevented Medical Intervention

L

By Mia Abdul-Hakeem

et me start this off by stating that what one woman experiences in birth is unique to her and that each birth story is magical no matter how the baby is born. However, if my lesson of “listen to your body” can help another woman then why not share my story?

This was my second birth, an attempt at a vaginal birth after cesarean or VBAC. My first birth was four days of laboring (yes you read correctly) with no progress beyond 2 cm. So it was three days unmediated labor, the last 22 hours in the hospital using Pitocin and an epidural, and the last two hours undergoing a cesarean.

I had dilated to 9.5 cm, but since it had been 24 hours since being admitted for delivery the time allotted me to deliver was up.

Most doctors allow the patient to try to get to 10 cm once 9.5 cm are reached. However, it had been determined by doctor that “time was up! It was time to cut.” Something he had been pushing me to do upon admittance into the hospital. I regretted not standing my ground, the doctors reluctance to help only cut, the cesarean birth, the healing time and psychological effects it had on me, as well. The lesson I learned: listen to your body.

With this second birth I was determined to stay home as long as possible (even if that meant an accidental home birth) and go to the hospital as close to transition as possible. Of course, I wanted all of this unmediated and I envisioned myself sitting in a birth pool allowing nature to take its course. My two doulas and great friends were by my side cracking jokes, applying essential oils to my forehead and hands, pressing my back to open my pelvic which relieved the pain, on top of making brownies…I mean you name it they were doing it. It was great! I was just trying to manage my pain levels and keep laughing as long as possible.

After fourteen hours of prelabor, my contractions became regular with increased intensity. We decided to go to the hospital to see how far I had dilated as we could always come back home and stay relaxed waiting for progress. We arrived at UCSD, the best facility in San Diego, CA with the highest rate of successful VBAC sitting

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around 70%. We were confident, cool, and collected as we went to triage and awaited the results of the exam. I was even told that I ran and pushed them along at some point, but hey I was excited.

The internal exam was not routine as thought as the doctor has decided to check for additional things when he saw my amniotic sac was protruding from my cervix. But my team was awesome! I call them the Jedi Council as they are Masters at child birth, with eight kids between them and six of them natural births. They wanted to cry when I wanted to cry, scream when I wanted to scream and helped me stand up for what I wanted when contractions hit and people asked questions that you cannot answer while trying to breath. Go figure?!?!?

“My team was awesome! I call them the Jedi Council.”

Hooray! I was 4 cm; which is the hardest milestone to reach in prelabor. The hospital wanted to admit me however, we knew I could do better and increase my odds for the birth I wanted. After a brief discussion with my Jedi Council, we decided that a good walk around the hospital for a couple of hours can get the progress to at least 6+ centimeters then we would stay.

By my next exam I was 8 cm and this unmediated! My vaginal birth was looking like it was going to be a reality.

But as the old saying goes, the best way to make God laugh is to tell him all your plans. After a 16 hours of dilating, with no other comfortable position but standing I decided to get an epidural so I could rest, maybe even sleep while my body relaxes and finishes dilating to get ready for the real labor and work. They supported me and encouraged me to do what was best for me.

A shift change and two hours later the next doctor came for my internal exam and due to smaller fingers, I was no

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longer at 8 cm I was at 7 cm, with no progress. Of course that was not something my team and I wanted to hear.

Nor was the suggestion of a catheter to monitor how strong the contractions were and if we would use Pitocin to help get me to 10 cm.

distracts me from concentrating on the job of pushing. And did we forget I can FEEL the contractions before the monitor picks them up and am well aware of when I need to push. I keep asking her to stop the narrations; she keeps telling me she cannot help it.

At this point, I had noticed that my epidural had progressively worn off and what should have been a relaxing time to sleep had turned into anxiety, which leads to no progress in preparing for birth. I realized that maybe I should not have gotten the epidural as it can slow down the progress of my contractions and that it really did not relieve any of the uncomfortableness, except for maybe the first hour. Besides I had gotten so far without it.

My response, “Well get the hell out of the room!” In the middle of pushing, without notice I have a doctor sticking their fingers inside me telling me to push. My mind and body has turned against the all-knowing Jedi Council in that everything that worked before no longer is working causing me to yell and bark out orders that they hastily try to meet. And oh hell, here comes another doctor wanting to insert fingers to check and see if I am pushing correctly.

I asked the doctor if I could speak to the anesthesiologist before we proceeded. She came back and checked my epidural. She gave me a ballast, which is another concentrated dose, and we were off again. When the doctor returned she surprisingly decided that I no longer needed the catheter as I was 10 cm!!! I was beyond relieved to hear that and knowing that I had listened to my body resulted in no additional medical intervention, was exactly the boost I needed so I can start pushing!

“Maybe I should not have gotten the epidural as it can slow down the progress of my contractions...”

So I started pushing and pushing for what seemed like an eternity. Getting a baby out for the first time does take time. I pushed for 2.5 hours and was told that I had another half an hour to deliver or they would look to vacuum suction my baby out and if that did not work to opt for a cesarean.

“My response, ‘Well get the hell out of the room!’”

What doctors call transition should more accurately be termed changing into the primordial you, your pure primal being that knows what you need and does not care who it offends when demanding it to happen.

An inner peace swelled up inside me as I then realize that all I need to do is trust myself and what my body is asking for is a two contraction break to gather my thoughts and strength. Calm down from being that cat backed into a corner, being yelled at, poked and prodded, twisted, contorted, coughed and sneezed on. I swear, I even felt my baby retreat like, “Why the hell would I want to come into this environment?”

“...transition should more accurately be termed changing into the primordial you...”

OK. As fears shot up to my throat, I thought here we go again. I came all the way here just to end up where I was the last time. This is completely unacceptable.

My first thoughts were: how in the hell can you tell someone they have only 30 minutes to deliver a baby?

That would hinder progress just knowing the clock is ticking, and 30 minutes is no time. What the hell, are they seriously considering vacuuming my child out of my body? How can I relax and deliver when I am so uncomfortable?

To literally have to fight for a two contraction break is ridiculous. The doctors are saying that they have been nice to allow me to push for an extra hour; my Jedi Council both are saying that I have given up and am not pushing as hard as I was before. That I have become combative with the hospital staff. Once that happens they will no longer want to work with me.

I have a nurse coughing and sneezing in my “sterile environment.” Who also wants to narrate me pushing and counting, neither of which I need to be told to do as I can push further than 10 seconds, feeling my contractions rise and peak and any voices I hear during a contraction

Well I wonder why I have become combative! No one listening to me. Each step of the way, it had been a mutual listening environment. Now because everyone had determined that I am not giving my best, something I full heartily disagree with, everything

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must come to an end. Am I no longer allowed to defend myself? To express what I need? Who is a better determiner of what is needed than the person who needs it?

The doctor said I need to meet them half way. At which I look her straight in the eyes and said, “I am meeting you ALL half way and then some to the point I have exerted myself to the fullest. But who is meeting me? I mean I am asking for a two contraction break which could have been over with if we were not arguing about me taking it. And seriously how is that going to make or break hospital policy, by giving a birthing woman a 4 to 5 minute break?”

They huffed and left the room, calculating my next move without me. The coughing/sneezing nurse starting talking again, at which I reminded her that a break meant stop talking to me. One of my doulas came over and expressed that I should stop being combative so they will continue to help me. I agreed and asked for her to support my decision to take a break.

They huffed and left the room, calculating my next move without me.

As I took my break I hit the epidural button (something I had not done the entire time with my pain exceeding its relieving effects). I realized that my body knew exactly what I needed, that I was strong enough to ask, and then when it became necessary, to demand it.

That I could finish this birth the way I wanted and meet my baby without vacuum suctioning or a cesarean. That yes I was combative, from my perspective it was necessary to defend and then regain myself. All I needed was a few minutes to myself to get centered and focus back on my goals. I took my break, several deep breaths, saw my baby being born and told my Jedi Council and nurse that I was ready.

I could finish this birth the way I wanted and meet my baby without vacuum suctioning or a cesarean.

This is how a two contraction break renewed trust in myself, saved my baby girl from vacuum suctioning and or both of us from a possible cesarean. It is funny how things worked out. My stay was 24 hours from delivery to discharge (I wanted and needed to get home to heal in the quiet of my home). Unbeknownst to me, my determination and two doula support team, turned me into a celebrity of sorts at the hospital.

I received visitors from different parts of the hospital as people had to come and meet the lady who breast fed her 18 month old well into five months of pregnancy (and wanted to continue until birth and beyond); the lady who won the battle over her doctors’ “medical suggestions” and delivered via VBAC - all when everyone else thought it was a lost cause.

I left the hospital on cloud nine, my relationships with my Jedi Council and body both intact. But most importantly, I left with my spirit and body intact, not c-sectioned apart.

Note to self: never mind what the nay sayers say, I will always listen to myself!

By the time the doctors returned, I had two successful contractions and pushes. I apologized for being combative and thanked them for giving me my much needed break. Surprised that the discussion for medical intervention was not even on my agenda, the doctors jumped back in as if there were no problem. Everyone helped me deliver my baby girl within an hour of that break.

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We believe that your journey into parenthood should be an enjoyable experience, not one of stress, worry, and anxiety. We are here to help you, whether you just need a little help to take the edge off, or if you are ready to throw in the towel, because even super parents need backup.

Welcome to Baby Bump & Beyond!

Baby Bump & Beyond, LLC. San Diego, California (760) 317-9819 info@babybumpbeyond.com

DJ E.F. Cuttin & Mystikal

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DJ E.F. Cuttin’s Autism Awareness I’m writing this 2 make you aware of the issue of Autism. This is very important to me for a variety of reasons, most importantly the fact that my youngest son is on the Autism Spectrum.

Autism is a neurological disorder that affects one’s ability to socialize and assimilate into “normal” society. Right now the rate of children diagnosed with this disorder has skyrocketed to 1 in 100 children, and more alarmingly 1 in 70 male children are diagnosed with Autism.

Older doctors tend to shun the diagnoses and will say things like, “Oh, he’ll grow out of it.” and things like that, but I urge all parents who sense something is “not quite right” to seek help. If detected early, you can implement things that will help your child as he/she gets older, as opposed to ignoring it and then becoming angry or frustrated with the child.

Most children on the spectrum often have unique gifts. For example, my son is a natural drummer and plays scarily good without as much as having a single lesson. The key is to find a way to link with the child using his/her interests, as they will be few, and nurture those to the max. The hardest thing of all is being able to afford the schools that specialize in educating autistic children, as public schools are rarely equipped to do so. Sadly, it’s going to take some high ranking official with an autistic child to introduce legislation to help combat this problem, but until that day comes, it’s on us to do what we can for our children.

It’s important to make sure your child meets the “milestones” during the first 2 years of life and to have him/her checked if you notice that they have not. It’s a fight for the long haul, so expect lots of disappointment in the system, but never take it out on the child, for their fight is a helluva lot harder than ours.

April is Autism Awareness month, please educate yourselves on this epidemic, even if you have “typical” children, so you will be able to identify and even help an Autistic child or adult.

— Thomas Edwards (DJ E.F. Cuttin)

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