Blog 8 Women's Weight

Most women today are unhappy with their weight and bodies. This has alot to do with society's perception of how women should look.
Women believe they should be thin instead of healthy. Models are so thin that you can practically see their bones. They have many people telling them how beautiful they are because they are thin. When young girls and teenage girls see this on t.v. or read it in magazines, they believe they need to be the same size as the models. They begin starving themselves or making themselves vomit in order to lose weight. Some may even use laxatives. Most girls that young do not need to lose weight. Even if a girl is overweight, this is not the way to become healthy.
Girls, teens, and women alike can become anorexic or bulimic. This has happened with celeberties as well. With the way Hollywood is, I think celeberties have added pressure to be thin. They do not want to have that "extra 10 pounds the camera puts on you." Cindi Leive, the editor in chief of Glamour magazine, wrote about the popularity of plastic surgery in Hollywood. She said, " You're hard pressed to find a Hollywood actess who hasn't either had work done or has spent the last six months nibbling on crumbs."
When women are overweight, or think they are not thin, their self-esteem is low. Women need to understand that they need to be a healthy weight and that they have different bone structures from one another. Many women do not know that they can die or damage their organs by being anorexic or bulimic. Some women do not understand that if they are 6 foot tall and weigh 200 pounds, that is right for them. Some may think they need to weigh 130 pounds. Women, I believe, only look at the number on the scales and not how they look. Other women may believe if they are a size 12-14 they are too fat, when they are really at a healthy weight and size.
Girls usually start comparing their bodies and weights to others at an early age. Some as young as 10 according to some psychologists. Some girls may start early because they see their own mother doing the same thing.
One way that might help women become comfortable with their own weight and bodies, is to teach girls when they are young to be comfortable with themselves. Education on how to eat healthy and be healthy by exercising and not necessarly looking at the numbers on the scale or what size clothes they wear.

Cite: Mary Duenwald. The New York Times. June 22, 2003 p1 col 01 (40 col in).

Blog 7 Hormone Replacement Therapy

I'm going to write about my experience with hormone replacement therapy and why I'm on it.

Due to endometrosis, I had to have a total hysterectomy at age 29. My gynecologist and I talked about HRT and the one's he thought I should try. He first wanted to wait until I actually started having symptoms of menopause. The doctor said it would be better if I could hold off as long as possible before starting HRT's because of some risks associated with taking them. A couple of risks include stroke and heart disease. He was concerned because my mother had a stroke and her doctor told her it was impart of her being on HRT's. This made my risk higher for stroke.
When the symptoms started, I went through different HRT medicines to see which one would work for my symptoms. Some worked for a few days, then the hot flashes and night sweats would be back. Sometimes the hot flashes would be worse than before. It took about three months before I found a medicine that would help my symptoms. The one that works is called Vivelle Dot Patch. I've been using it about 8 years. The patch is suppose to be changed twice a week, but the last couple of years, I would only change it once a week. The last few months I have only used the patch once in three months. The hot flashes are not bad and only last a few minutes. I began doing light exercises and that has helped. My husband is concerned with me being on HRT's because of the risks and what happened with my mother. It does not help when the media tells of the "bad" things that can happen while being on HRT' s. Don't get me wrong, I am concerned, but it is a risk I must take so that I can feel better.

Amy Morrow

Blog 6 Birthing Center

I interviewed a woman, Cindy, who told me about her experience about giving birth to her 2nd child at a birthing center rather than the hospital like she did with her first child.
With her first child she didn't want an epidural and she said that upset the nurses. Cindy wanted the birth to be natural. When Cindy had contractions she moved around but never screamed. The nurses put an internal monitor on the baby's head. She didn't understand why they did this since she wasn't at high risk for delivery. When she moved during the contractions the monitor would come off and that would upset the nurses because they would have to come back in and put the monitor back on. When it came time to deliver, Cindy said she didn't want an episiotomy if the perinium tore. She wanted a natural tear. The doctor did an episiotomy anyway. He said it was because the baby was so big. The baby weighed 9 lbs 7 oz. Cindy still has nerve damage from the episiotomy.
Cindy didn't want to go through all the same stuff again with her second child. Her and her husband decided to go with a midwife. Cindy had done research and talked with a friend that had used a midwife. The midwife had the same philosophy that childbirth should be natural. So, they used the same midwife that her friend had used.
She said the experience at the birthing center was very calm. They used breathing techniques and massage as pain control. Cindy said when she had pain in her tailbone, the midwife suggested laying over a big exercise ball to relieve the pressure. They also used hot washcloths for pain relief.
Another benefit was she could have her family and friends in the birthing center including her 4 year old daughter. Even though she was upstairs, she had the comfort of knowing she had support with her. If she wanted anyone in the room she had the option.
When it came time for the delivery they paged her husband and student midwives to the room. Her husband actually got to deliver his son and cut the cord. Cindy's mother and friend were at the bottom of the stairs and heard the actual birth and the baby's first cry. Then they had her daughter come to the room to see her brother. Her daughter ran down stairs and announced, "It's a brother!" Cindy was able to hear the cheers from family and friends whereas, if she were in the hospital, that wouldn't have happened.
After everyone met the baby and visited, the midwife took Cindy for a herbal bath. Close to the end of the bath they brought her son to her. They both had a relaxing bath. Her son weighed 8 lbs 8 oz. She said even with her son being a big baby, she healed more quickly after his birth than with her daughter.

Amy Morrow