Today Aubrey turns one! A little about her, she loves headbands,
soft blankets and giving her youngest brother Skyler snarky looks...she's
still trying to find out why he cries and whines so damn much. Aubrey is an
observer and lover of life, always content to be in the warm embrace
of someone's arms.

A year ago today, she was born here at our house, drug-free like the
other 3. But it almost didn't work out that way.

As a father, by the time baby #4 rolls around, you think you have it all
figured out. Your role, as a guy, is simply to stand on the sidelines of
birth and make sure mom and baby are comfortable and safe.

Then, you wait for the big show.

I was as calm as a Buddhist monk sipping beer. Another home birth.
We got this.

But then…I got a frantic call from my wife. She’d just discovered she
tested positive for Group B strep (GBS) while being pregnant. Aubrey was
due in 4 weeks.

Buddhist monk mode was over.

GBS is a type of bacterial infection that can be found in the uterus,
placenta or urinary tract. For many, it’s harmless. But if transmitted to
a baby during birth, the outcome is a parent’s worst nightmare — shock,
pneumonia, meningitis.

Like 20-40% of pregnant moms, Lea-Ann was a carrier. As you can imagine,
she was distraught.

After 7.5 months of doing everything right, it now seemed like something
was terribly wrong. Already in a vulnerable state, Lea-Ann’s head was
spinning with blame. “How could this have happened?” she wondered.

The possibility of a hospital birth and a sick baby was imminent. I went
into chemist mode. We began discussing the options, free of the typical
scare tactics from Western Medicine.

The typical protocol for GBS-positive moms is to pump the mother full of IV
antibiotics during birth, or perform a C-section.

Not on my watch.

A healthy, natural childbirth sets the stage for a healthy future and vice
versa. This has been well established. And using antibiotics as
“preventive medicine” comes with life-long consequences.

It wasn’t worth the risk.

Fact is, bacteria is everywhere. Life is essentially water and bacteria.

Test for any strain and you can usually find it.

Therefore, being afraid of bacteria isn’t a healthy life strategy…even
if that bacteria has a scary name like “GBS” or “Strep B”!

It’s extremely rare for a healthy mom to pass GBS on to a healthy baby.
Thanks to emergency medicine, it’s even more rare for a baby to suffer
the worst consequences of GBS. Plus, giving birth in water (i.e., a water
birth) adds yet another layer of protection, putting the odds in your
favor.

My wife and I both agreed to skip the antibiotics. 50% of the time, they
don’t even work. They yield side effects 100% of the time. We got back on
track for our home birth plan and aimed for a healthy delivery in water.

I may know about antibiotics, but I have zero clinical experience with
Strep B infection. So I arranged to have two superstar midwives by our side
to watch closely for signs of GBS upon birth. Decades of wisdom and
experience were lined up around the tub!

In the last 50 years, Western Medicine has built a system of blind loyalty
to medications. When faced with the unknown — like GBS — we throw
medications at the patient like spaghetti on a wall to see what sticks. The
benefit is rarely greater than the risk.

In light of the superbug scourge, the side effects to baby’s immune
system and the ineffectiveness of antibiotics, plus the wanton overuse of
prescription drugs — all represent a modern day tragedy. Ignoring these
hard truths, hospitals are too quick to slap IV’s on mom and baby. It’s
One Nation Under Drugs, from cradle to grave.

Not in the Ellison household.

Lea-Ann went into labor on Wednesday at 2pm. She went to float in our
swimming pool to ease the pain. I jumped in with Skyler, and we both
pondered if it was a girl or boy.

I thought back to all the stages we’ve already been through…parents of
one kid, two kids, three kids, and soon to be four. I remembered Lily —
born so damn serious and driven, it’s paid off in spades only 13 years
later. Blair — benevolent, curious and determined, instantly wrapped his
long arms around mom as he came out of the water. Skyler — happy and
playful day and night, so active you have to feed him on the run.

All of our children have been resilient survivors.

Who’s next?

An hour of labor and it was time to wrap it up. Lea-Ann went inside to sit
in the tub.

Her water broke shortly thereafter. Seconds later, she was holding our new
baby girl.

Gentle and appreciative, the little one flailed her arms, then rested
solemnly in mom’s arms. Eyes shut, she savored the moment and held
tight…all her senses coming to life. She startled herself with a cry and
quickly settled in to mom’s familiar embrace.

All was fine in the world.

In that one instant, everything changed.

A carbon copy of Lea-Ann, we were now proud parents of 4! Aubrey was born
healthy, happy and lovingly. Calm, centered, confident — she’s sure to
keep Skyler in check through the years.

Today, we set up for birthday #1 and lots of celebration! Here's to many
more Aubs!

To learn how to raise a healthy family read Over-The-Counter Natural Cures
Expanded at www.bestcurebook.com

Live young!

The People's Chemist
www.thepeopleschemist.com