by Jackie Peebles
Mothers provide infants the perfect environment while they are in the womb, nutrition and safety with the provision of amniotic fluid which keeps them from being damaged while their little bodies develop. The perfect elements within the womb are readily available to the infants to decrease the stressors that could damage their neurological, cognitive, and physical growth. Unfortunately, things may happen along the path to a normal delivery and some infants are born too soon. The nurses and early intervention educational specialists from the Angels in Waiting team realize that these medically fragile infant are still ready to learn, and the team brings new hope of a childhood to these infants.
Early intervention is now becoming the primary resource for creating the developmentally, and medically safe environment that is necessary to help these little ones develop in the most normal pattern as possible. Early intervention provides the educational, medical and therapeutic services to be the missing link for infants born prematurely, so that they may realize similar cognitive, neurological and physical progress as those infants that have experienced normal developmental delivery. Early interventions services though the Angels in Waiting team start as quickly as possible with these babies that have either been born too soon or abused. The combination of medical and educational expertise is the best strategy that these little ones can hope for.
Angels In Waiting
Friday, December 9, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
APOTHECARIES FOR A BRAVE, NEW WORLD
Posted: Thursday, December 1, 2011 8:15
By Tim Arnold
The apothecaries of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were a rare breed of chemist-pharmacologists who had a wide-sweeping knowledge of medicinals and medicaments and how medical disorders could be treated with these extracts that had been derived from nature's storehouse of herbs and tonics and curative elixirs. Apothecary means storehouse, and these chemists had built a storehouse of knowledge of chemicals and potions over the centuries, having been the preeminent medical practitioners throughout the Middle Ages. Apothecaries are directly descended from the shamans of the ancient world, who used their intensive, metaphysical knowledge of the realms of the spirit in conjunction with a consummate knowledge of nature to create cures for the body, mind and spirit. Apothecaries were closely involved in the lives of the people of the towns and villages where they practiced their curative arts, and they filled the role of both chemist and physician in most of these communities. It was only in the past century that these extraordinarily knowledgeable medical practitioners have faded from memory. Their only claim to having existed lies in their phantasmal reflections in old apothecary bottles of bronze and green to be found in curio shops. They were lost in the black shadows of drug stores and corporate pharmacies. Today, virtually no one understands what the term apothecary means.
In a small shop on Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, the art and science of the apothecary is being recreated. Linda West-Conforti, the founder of Nurses For Safer Access, has shown visionary insight in analyzing the conundrums and chaos of modern medicine, which she believes can only be treated through a synthesis of the current and the ancient; through the archaic healer interfacing with modern, medical technocracy. This syncretist medicine will merge the physician with the metaphysician.
Ms. West-Conforti has gained this perspicacity through decades in the nursing profession. She has witnessed the adverse effects of numerous, synthetic drugs, which require the usage of other drugs to mitigate their detrimental side effects and still other drugs to ameliorate the negative effects of the panacea drugs. This drug syndrome can trap a person on an unmerry-go-round of disease. A poignant example of synthetic drug misrepresentation can be traumatically seen in the heroin that was synthesized in the late nineteenth century from the naturally occurring morphine opiate. Heroin was named after hero or heroic because it was believed to cure numerous diseases without having the addictive qualities of morphine. The truth was, of course, that heroin was considerably more addictive than morphine, and myriad addicts were created, blindly believing that they were doing something healthy for themselves. An ultimately horrific aspect of this free-wheeling usage of heroin was the heroin abortion in which numerous, late term infants were born as heroin addicts.
The twenty-first century has witnessed the proliferation of not only the heroin addicted infant but also the methamphetamine addicted, premature infant. Ms. West-Confort's original organization, Angels In Waiting, has focused upon restoring the health of these medically fragile infants and in finding homes in which they can grow to full vitality. Angels In Waiting has relied upon grants and the magnanimity of individuals to gain the funds necessary to care for these infants who have been fated to start life as drug addicts. Reflective of the rampant physical disorders affecting Western Civilization are its synthetically-created, diseased economic systems, and this economic virulence has resulted in the evaporation of funds needed for Angels In Waiting to continue its humanitarian work. In many respects, this situation reflects the destitute children in Dickens' novel, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, who cling to the robes of The Spirit of Christmas Present. When asked if they are his, he replies that they are mankind's but that they cling to him for protection because mankind will not have them.
It is believed by Ms. West Conforti that Nurses For Safer Access will begin to supply the funds so that Angels In Waiting can continue to redeem these drug-addicted infants. NFSA offers intensely potent Amazonian herbs that can successfully treat numerous ailments and reduce the deleterious effects of synthetic pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the aboriginal American, Essiac elixir is being offered in the original decoction that has been effective in arresting cellular mutation and reducing inflammation. An extensive analysis of the client's needs is offered gratis at Nurses For Safer Access. House calls and delivery are also an integral part of the services offered. NFSA is focused upon bringing humanity back into the medical profession, just as the apothecaries of centuries past practiced humanized, individualistic medicine.
While chaotic crisis is at the center of the present medical firmament, that inferior chaos can metamorphose into a superior order. As an ancient Greek philosopher stated: Out of chaos comes a dancing star.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Our Tiny Ones In Our NICU...
Premature births are on the rise. Many of our foster care infants are delivered early due to maternal drug exposure and failed abortion attempts by young mothers barely out of childhood themselves. This new population of tiny ones begins their lives in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units of hospitals across America. Our goal is to bring awareness, education and forever loving homes to these little angels. Your gracious donation will help us recruit qualified NICU Nurses to bring these little Angels home.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Lexie's Story
Alexia was born prematurely with a condition known as Gastroschisis.( See Photo) Her intestines had formed outside her abdominal wall and the wall had closed up around them, choking them from blood supply and systematically poisoning her. Lexie's intestines were black and dead; only four inches of viable bowel could be saved and had to be surgically attached to her
transverse colon. The loss of bowel makes it impossible to absorb the nutrients needed to sustain life so she requires an IV infusion of Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) that runs through a large blood vessel in her chest twenty hours a day - an intrusion that is hard on
the veins and makes her prone to bacteria that cause blood infections. Numerous line placements for the IV have caused scarring and taxed the liver like excessive alcohol and a toxic lifestyle would.
Her liver and kidneys are further taxed by the antibiotics necessary to fight a host of infections. She has anemia because her kidneys aren't working up to par, so I infuse IV Iron to help that and give her a shot every week to build up her red blood cells. Her gut is "leaky", so bacteria easily seep through the intestinal wall and cause blood infections. The short length of her intestines means that the normal amount of immunities can't be produced so I infuse an immunity drug called IVIG every two weeks at home to help build her immunity. She likes to suck the flavor out of food rather than swallow, so it was necessary to put a Gastric Tube (GT) in her stomach for feedings and for medications that are impossible for her to swallow.
When I first cared for Lexie in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of a major hospital, she was eighteen months old and weighed a scant twelve pounds. She had just been admitted with yeast growing in her blood. Her hair was brittle and had a reddish tint mixed into the black hair - a tell tale sign of nutrient deficiency.
She had been living in her second Medically Fragile Group Home but had been in the hospital so frequently with blood infections that she
had not had the time to bond with anyone from her new Group Home.
Alone in the ICU, she was frightened and had learned to avoid eye contact. She had a flat affect when nurses and doctors talked to her and had learned to protect herself by withdrawing from us. She cried and struggled to get back to the safety behind the bars of her crib. When I reached in to pick her up, she used sign language to tell me to pull the bars of the crib back up. She had inappropriate attachment; once held and rocked, she did not want to let me go. The next day, she chose someone else to attach to.
During the course of her six week stay in the hospital, my attachment to her grew steadily and I took the steps necessary to become her at-home nurse and adoptive
parent. When I brought her home to live forever, she chose my oldest son Dylan to attach to and called him "Mommy" for two months. She became possessively jealous of my younger son and would not allow any other kids to touch him or come too close to him. She would furiously crawl as fast as she could across the floor to remove the "offender's" arm from her Seany.
She was so used to avoiding eye contact to protect herself that it delayed her ability to walk to twenty-three months, and I had to teach her to keep eye contact with me.
In the years I've had her, she has blossomed into an incredibly intelligent, beautiful four year old girlie girl with no fear of people. She talks endlessly, runs, laughs, smiles and finally shares her brother, knowing she is secure in his love.
I packed her two IV pumps into a tiny, wheeled backpack so she can get
around. We pick a different cartoon character and color scheme daily depending on her outfit! She's able to pull the backpack all over the place - chasing her puppy, shopping at the mall, banging up the stairs at home, running after - or from - her brothers.
She is still tiny – only twenty-seven pounds, but she is so proud of her muscles. She bunches up her little arms often to show me she is getting stronger and taller like her brothers.
I am thrilled to be able to provide Alexia with a life beyond the hospital and institution - a life where she can sleep in a big doll house bed in her own room and
have cousins and siblings to play and grow with; a life where she is able to go on vacation, go to the zoo, play in the park, delight in the joys of shopping and relish in the love that surrounds her.
When Lexie has her organ transplants, I will be out of work for six months as she recovers in the hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a long way from southern California. As a single mother, I am my family's breadwinner and, of course,
this is worrisome. Yet, Lexie needs me at her side; she has come so far and now knows what a "mommy" really is! When she first began talking, she would shriek, "We Home! We Home!" when we pulled up to our house. She knows she will NEVER be alone in the hospital again. When Lexie has her major surgeries, I will be at her side holding her tiny hand.
She has not conquered every medical milestone in front of her. There are more than several organ transplants in her near future. At least with me as her advocate and being able to care for her in my home, she is long over the surprise in seeing the same "nurse" greet her when she wakes each morning and is more prepared for the challenges ahead. I am her mommy. I am her nurse. She is my love.
Charla Kingsley, RN, INP
While Charla is at Lexie's side during her difficult
hospitalizations, operations and recovery, Angels in Waiting, USA will be at Charla's side; helping with her bills while her job as an INP is on hold. Angels in Waiting stands behind Charla supporting her decision to bring Lexie into her life and home and supporting Lexie's need to have her mommy/nurse at bedside during the difficult times.
Please help Angels in Waiting, USA help these two special Angels.
transverse colon. The loss of bowel makes it impossible to absorb the nutrients needed to sustain life so she requires an IV infusion of Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) that runs through a large blood vessel in her chest twenty hours a day - an intrusion that is hard on
the veins and makes her prone to bacteria that cause blood infections. Numerous line placements for the IV have caused scarring and taxed the liver like excessive alcohol and a toxic lifestyle would.
Her liver and kidneys are further taxed by the antibiotics necessary to fight a host of infections. She has anemia because her kidneys aren't working up to par, so I infuse IV Iron to help that and give her a shot every week to build up her red blood cells. Her gut is "leaky", so bacteria easily seep through the intestinal wall and cause blood infections. The short length of her intestines means that the normal amount of immunities can't be produced so I infuse an immunity drug called IVIG every two weeks at home to help build her immunity. She likes to suck the flavor out of food rather than swallow, so it was necessary to put a Gastric Tube (GT) in her stomach for feedings and for medications that are impossible for her to swallow.
When I first cared for Lexie in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of a major hospital, she was eighteen months old and weighed a scant twelve pounds. She had just been admitted with yeast growing in her blood. Her hair was brittle and had a reddish tint mixed into the black hair - a tell tale sign of nutrient deficiency.
She had been living in her second Medically Fragile Group Home but had been in the hospital so frequently with blood infections that she
had not had the time to bond with anyone from her new Group Home.
Alone in the ICU, she was frightened and had learned to avoid eye contact. She had a flat affect when nurses and doctors talked to her and had learned to protect herself by withdrawing from us. She cried and struggled to get back to the safety behind the bars of her crib. When I reached in to pick her up, she used sign language to tell me to pull the bars of the crib back up. She had inappropriate attachment; once held and rocked, she did not want to let me go. The next day, she chose someone else to attach to.
During the course of her six week stay in the hospital, my attachment to her grew steadily and I took the steps necessary to become her at-home nurse and adoptive
parent. When I brought her home to live forever, she chose my oldest son Dylan to attach to and called him "Mommy" for two months. She became possessively jealous of my younger son and would not allow any other kids to touch him or come too close to him. She would furiously crawl as fast as she could across the floor to remove the "offender's" arm from her Seany.
She was so used to avoiding eye contact to protect herself that it delayed her ability to walk to twenty-three months, and I had to teach her to keep eye contact with me.
In the years I've had her, she has blossomed into an incredibly intelligent, beautiful four year old girlie girl with no fear of people. She talks endlessly, runs, laughs, smiles and finally shares her brother, knowing she is secure in his love.
I packed her two IV pumps into a tiny, wheeled backpack so she can get
around. We pick a different cartoon character and color scheme daily depending on her outfit! She's able to pull the backpack all over the place - chasing her puppy, shopping at the mall, banging up the stairs at home, running after - or from - her brothers.
She is still tiny – only twenty-seven pounds, but she is so proud of her muscles. She bunches up her little arms often to show me she is getting stronger and taller like her brothers.
I am thrilled to be able to provide Alexia with a life beyond the hospital and institution - a life where she can sleep in a big doll house bed in her own room and
have cousins and siblings to play and grow with; a life where she is able to go on vacation, go to the zoo, play in the park, delight in the joys of shopping and relish in the love that surrounds her.
When Lexie has her organ transplants, I will be out of work for six months as she recovers in the hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a long way from southern California. As a single mother, I am my family's breadwinner and, of course,
this is worrisome. Yet, Lexie needs me at her side; she has come so far and now knows what a "mommy" really is! When she first began talking, she would shriek, "We Home! We Home!" when we pulled up to our house. She knows she will NEVER be alone in the hospital again. When Lexie has her major surgeries, I will be at her side holding her tiny hand.
She has not conquered every medical milestone in front of her. There are more than several organ transplants in her near future. At least with me as her advocate and being able to care for her in my home, she is long over the surprise in seeing the same "nurse" greet her when she wakes each morning and is more prepared for the challenges ahead. I am her mommy. I am her nurse. She is my love.
Charla Kingsley, RN, INP
While Charla is at Lexie's side during her difficult
hospitalizations, operations and recovery, Angels in Waiting, USA will be at Charla's side; helping with her bills while her job as an INP is on hold. Angels in Waiting stands behind Charla supporting her decision to bring Lexie into her life and home and supporting Lexie's need to have her mommy/nurse at bedside during the difficult times.
Please help Angels in Waiting, USA help these two special Angels.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Angels In Waiting Nurses Motto
by Linda West
Founder of Angels In Waiting
“Clocking in at Home”…I’ve carried numerous medically fragile infant and children through the threshold of my front door, and into my heart. I’ve slept with babies on my chest to enhance bonding and sensory integration. I've kissed boo boos, mended broken bones and broken hearts. I've been puked on, peed on, bleed on and spent sleepless nights in the rocking chair listening to monitors for arrhythmia's . But, I wouldn't have it any other way. My commute is to my coffee pot in my PJ’s, and when I look in the mirror I see an Angels in Waiting “Nurse- Mommy” and there is no greater honor... or blessing!!
Learn more at http://www.angelsinwaitingus.com/aiw6.html
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
What does Meth do to Pregnant Mothers and their Unborn Babies
Drug Use During Pregnancy
More than 90% of pregnant women take prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter) drugs or use social drugs (such as tobacco and alcohol) or illicit drugs at some time during pregnancy. In general, drugs, unless absolutely necessary, should not be used during pregnancy because many can harm the fetus. About 2 to 3% of all birth defects result from the use of drugs other than alcohol.
Sometimes drugs are essential for the health of the pregnant woman and the fetus. In such cases, a woman should talk with her doctor or other health care practitioner about the risks and benefits of taking the drugs. Before taking any drug (including over-the-counter drugs) or dietary supplement (including medicinal herbs), a pregnant woman should consult her health care practitioner. A health care practitioner may recommend that a woman take certain vitamins and minerals during pregnancy.
Drugs taken by a pregnant woman reach the fetus primarily by crossing the placenta, the same route taken by oxygen and nutrients, which are needed for the fetus's growth and development. Drugs that a pregnant woman takes during pregnancy can affect the fetus in several ways.
More than 90% of pregnant women take prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter) drugs or use social drugs (such as tobacco and alcohol) or illicit drugs at some time during pregnancy. In general, drugs, unless absolutely necessary, should not be used during pregnancy because many can harm the fetus. About 2 to 3% of all birth defects result from the use of drugs other than alcohol.
Sometimes drugs are essential for the health of the pregnant woman and the fetus. In such cases, a woman should talk with her doctor or other health care practitioner about the risks and benefits of taking the drugs. Before taking any drug (including over-the-counter drugs) or dietary supplement (including medicinal herbs), a pregnant woman should consult her health care practitioner. A health care practitioner may recommend that a woman take certain vitamins and minerals during pregnancy.
Drugs taken by a pregnant woman reach the fetus primarily by crossing the placenta, the same route taken by oxygen and nutrients, which are needed for the fetus's growth and development. Drugs that a pregnant woman takes during pregnancy can affect the fetus in several ways.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Early Interventions for Angels In Waiting
by Jackie Peebles
Mothers provide infants the perfect environment while they are in the womb, nutrition and safety with the provision of amniotic fluid which keeps them from being damaged while their little bodies develop. The perfect elements within the womb are readily available to the infants to decrease the stressors that could damage their neurological, cognitive, and physical growth. Unfortunately, things may happen along the path to a normal delivery and some infants are born too soon. The nurses and early intervention educational specialists from Angels in Waiting team realize that these medically fragile infants are still ready to learn, and the team brings new hope of a childhood to these infants.
Early Intervention is now becoming the primary resource for creating the developmentally, and medically safe environment that is necessary to help these little ones develop in the most normal pattern as possible. Early Intervention provides the educational, medical and therapeutic services to be the missing link for infants born prematurely, so that they may realize similar cognitive, neurological and physical progress as those infants that have experienced normal developmental delivery. Early Interventions Services, through the Angels in Waiting Team, start as quickly as possible with these babies that have either been born too soon or abused. The combination of medical and educational expertise is the best early intervention strategy that these little ones can hope for.
Monday, January 3, 2011
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