Janet Zimmerman: March 2012 Archives

BY JANET ZIMMERMAN
The Doulas Association of Southern California is hosting two free, informational events in the Inland area this week to educate women about the benefits of using an assistant in childbirth and afterward.

A doula is a woman who accompanies a new mother through birth and the postpartum period, offering emotional support, physical comfort, assistance and non-medical care.

The first event will be held Thursday, March 22, at 6 p.m. at the Louis Robidoux Library, 5840 Mission Blvd., Riverside.

The second event will be Saturday, March 24, at 1 p.m. at the Norman F. Feldheym Central Library, 555 W. Sixth St., San Bernardino.

They will include a film on the role of a doula in childbirth, presentations by doulas and parents who have used their services, and a question and answer session.

The group says doulas improve the physiological, social, emotional and psychological health of women, newborns and families in birth and in the postpartum period.

For more information, go online at http://dascdoulas.org/whatis.htm or call Kathie Neff at 951-203-9560.

BY JANET ZIMMERMAN
Redlands mom Lara Carlos is part of a parenting movement that bucks the mainstream.

Her three children, ages 7, 6 and 4, have never touched fast food. They were breastfed well into toddlerhood, carried close to their mom in a sling and are home schooled.

The Carlos kids, whose father, Kerry, is an acupuncturist, have never been seen by a medical doctor or taken antibiotics. Discomfort from illnesses is eased with herbs and chiropractic adjustments, never Tylenol. The youngest was born at home with a midwife, as will a fourth baby due any day, and the boys are not circumcised. The family sleeps together in one bed.

"It's about going back to the way things were," said Lara Carlos, 30, a childbirth educator. "There are a lot of people trying to get away from not feeling like they have control of their health or their families."

Traditional thinking about child rearing is being turned on its head by the Carlos family and a growing number of others intent on natural, healthy lifestyles. Known as holistic parenting, this new generation of moms and dads are eschewing convenience and common practices in favor of toxin-free, earth-friendly living.

Keep reading at:http://www.pe.com/local-news/breaking-news-headlines/20120303-region-parents-opting-for-natural-healthy-practices.ece