NPR ran a story on Wednesday about the link between low serotonin levels and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This is groundbreaking research, but so far, it appears that it will be used to find yet new ways of drugging our babies.
"The team hopes the study will lead to a test that measures a baby's serotonin levels, making it possible to identify children at highest risk for SIDS."
And then what? It's only a short leap to the prescription of serotonin-boosting pharmaceuticals. Prozac anyone?
At no time in the story was it mentioned how serotonin-producing actions on the part of the mother, like skin-to-skin contact or on-demand feeding, might now be further supported by this research to naturally increase serotonin and decrease stress for newborns. I would love to see natural birth and attachment parenting advocates rally together to see that this study gets taken in (what I believe is) the right direction.
What do you think? Is this research finding a boon for natural parenting practices, or will it only further the medical interventions imposed on newborns and their mothers? I'd like to hear what you have to say.
Serotonin and SIDS
on
Friday, February 5, 2010
5 comments:
when i first read this the other day, i ranted for about 3 full paragraphs before i reigned myself in, and forced myself to delete it and think over your blog.
but i still have the same opinions; WHEN WILL PEOPLE GET IT??!! if it were natural to feed babies on tinned food from day 1 and give them to someone else to look after when theyre born, every mother would be born with a tin of formula to keep until later life and a twin to hold the baby when your too busy. if the animals don't do it, why should be able to??? 'career woman' who want a child and a career like they had before the kid..NO. you either have your child, or you have your office. there is no in between..and if there is..don't be surprised when your kids first 'mama' is said to the nanny, or when the kid cries when you hold it, or when they get to a teen and wont do what you say. we need to get 'back to base'. the baby doesn't come with a manual for a reason, you have to LEARN, the way to learn?? SPEND TIME WITH YOUR BABE..hold it, marvel at it, feed it when its hungry, like you would want if you were hungry. don't leave it lying on a pillow with a bottle on its chest for an hour...yeah its fed, but not by you. how would these people feel if your other half cooked beautiful meal for you both and then left you to eat alone, only coming back to clear your plate?
i think, it will only further the medical inventions...the simple way (spending time with your child) isn't advanced, its age old and traditional, and in todays world, we like advancement in technology, and progression and to beat down everything with drugs. fact.
It wont be until 40 years has passed when we have a SIDS rate boosted by 30/40/50% (and a load of infertile babies being born because woman who cant conceive naturally are all having ivf), will we realise, mother(nature)knows best.
i watched avatar the other week, and its the classic humans wanting what the aliens have because its worth money and then doing anything they have to, to get it. well, they screw up a gorgeous planet in the process, and someone says to the inhabitants ''they're coming to kill your mother, they've already killed theirs''. I thought that was the perfect analogy for the human mental state. ''we win'' seems to be it..when in fact, we don't...and we will get shown, when its too late.
love and light.
sorry, ranty..
xxxx
if you havnt seen it (avatar) alexis, i highly recommend it, its such a spiritual film..really very very deep.
I agree, although you know I am always adverse to labels, so have stopped using the term 'attachment parenting'! (My Aquarius moon, I think.) But the main point is, educating parents in how to boost seratonin naturally...and education campaigns do work, they have already brought down SIDS rates incredibly, in terms of the back-sleeping and no smoking or second-hand smoking around babies info...
Liz ~ I think you make a good point about Western culture's preference for advancement over tradition. Of course, advancement means someone gets paid, and traditional methods tend to be free. I hope that we're seeing some of that wane. Certainly from the many people I've met in recent years, online and off, I am hopeful that there is a growing consciousness about things that matter more deeply than profits.
Lisa~ You're right. I do think education campaigns can work. I was excited when I first heard this story break, but then less so when I realized there was no talk about how to naturally boost serotonin in babies. Do you think this latest research might spawn more education campaigns, or just more pharmaceutical ad campaigns?
I don't use the AP label, either, though I find a lot of value in the theories behind it. I just thought it would be a good group to mobilize in establishing these educational campaigns, since many are so passionate about it.
Cheers!
Alexis
I totally agree. If we could just get back to some basics, it could help not only the SIDS problem but also the increase in ADHD, autism, cancer, hormonal dysfunction, and on and on. I'd like to see more work done on what happens to kids when they're not inundated with chemicals. Everything from the chemicals in their mother's body being transferred to the kids while they're still in the womb to sleeping on crib mattresses made with polyurethane foam, toxic fire retardants and PVC/vinyl waterproof coverings - all of which emit fumes the baby is breathing for 15 hours a day. Not to mention the 'easy care' sheets they sleep on that are treated with formaldehyde. It's a sad state of affairs when studies lead to more toxins (drugs) being used instead of less. It would be good to get every mother to go on a detox before getting pregnant, live without chemicals thereafter, have babies sleep on natural, organic crib mattresses like Naturepedic's, swathed in organic cotton clothing and linens. I wonder what would happen then?
I often wonder the same things, Gloria. For all the folks insisting there is no link between autism and vaccines, I'm sure a study that revealed an unvaccinated autistic child would be plastered all over the news - but it isn't ... because it hasn't happened. Sadly, I think we're a long way from detoxifying so many aspects of our lives, no matter how hard we try. I really appreciate your thoughts on this.
Cheers!
Alexis
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