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2001
I sent Tom an email in January of 2001.
.....I'm still finding pockets of resistence to the idea of feeding pregnant women the way they need to be fed (surprise,
surprise).
I finally thought of looking for you on the internet. I am so
pleased to see that you've published another couple of books. I am also so glad to see your information out on the internet
for more people to see.
I wish you all the best in everything you do.
Shalom,
Joy
Jan 31, 2001
Dear Joy, Thanks for the email; good to hear from you. But it's not good news that you see pregnant moms with their fetuses
who are not being fed right!!!
What can we do about it? I talked yesterday with a lady from Texas who described her pregnancy with perinatologist "care"
near East Texas which produced a girl child who at age 20 months after MTLP, mislabelled "HELP SYNDROME" has severe cerebral
palsy. She was born tiny and was in NICU 19 weeks. They've spent $15,000 so far just on her C>P> therapy. I have a great
sense of failure with SPUN's collapse!
Do you still have a copy of the pretty flow sheet that some European made.
Please send your snail-mailpostoffice address. Best,tom
1984
In 1984, I wrote a "Letter to the Editor" for a childbirth educators' newsletter, in response to a previous letter written
by a woman supporting the idea of moderation of sodium intake in pregnancy. Her reason for this view was that "fluid retention
can occur with excess sodium consumption and for many women this causes uncomfortable symptoms". In my letter, I explained
the differences between healthy and unhealthy fluid retention and explored the notion of "excess" sodium consumption. When
my letter was published in the newsletter, I sent a copy to Tom, and this was his reply.
Feb.27,1984
Dear Joy,
Thanks so much for writing this--and for sending me the copy. So few people seem to be
able to think physiologically, to think about the concrete nutritional stresses of each individual woman.
Statistics
and the computer age have made people disregard their own individual observations, experiences, and common sense in every
field. It is especially tragic in ours. I keep hearing from all over USA that C-section rates in private suburban hospitals
serving the middle and upper classes are 30-50%. The methodology of high tech, high risk modern prenatal medicine was worked
out on the pregnant poor in teaching hospitals, primarily in Big Cities--and then brought to everybody.
In the final
analysis low income "high risk" pregnant women don't need all these gadgets, machines, interventions any more
than the affluent do! [This Childbirth Organization] has been slow to recognize this fact.
Everybody assumed falsely that severe maternal malnutrition never has existed inside the borders of "rich America". The
resistance to our basic point of view and clinical practices of education and counselling for primary prevention seems stronger
today than in [the] 1930's. It's discouraging!
Keep the faith! And thank you again! Love, Tom
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