A valuable lesson

Never go into a catholic blog community and stand up for condoms!! ( See 'Natural Condoms' for oxy-morons) My comment on this post was shot down by one of James' commentors, and initially I was seething.

I've read James' blog from the start, and he warned me in person that his posts may get quite full on. He is, after all, the most devout Catholic that I know. But after much deliberation, I decided to comment on this post. James knows I 'm reading, and I would've thought he'd encourage a debate. He always makes a good point, even if people sometimes disagree with his orthodox catholic opinions, but he's taught me a thing or two in the years I've known him. What I hadn't counted on, was getting a response from one of his readers. The sarcastic tone, and down-talking nature of the comment angered me so much, I had to stop myself from replying with "who on earth do you think you are" - not the measured response of someone who stands by his own opinions! After calming down, I wondered if I should have said anything in the first place. I mean the catholic point of view certainly makes sense. How could anyone honestly enjoy using a condom? But then I remember that Kate has been on the pill since we were married, so my disliking of condoms is born of never having had to use them. Only now, since we have decided that Katy won't be going back on the pill after Ben's birth, are we using condoms. But does our use of contraception mean I don't love her more than anything on this earth? No. We would love to use natural family planning methods, but to be perfectly honest, condoms are a darn sight easier!

Anyway, I have decided not to comment on opinions born of religious dogma in future. I lack both the knowledge or understanding. Instead, I'll just stick to rambling away on my own Blog, and posting the odd comment on James' when the issues are more of the "too many free papers" ilk : D

Poor Katy...

I'm feeling a little guilty. Katy, my rock, my angel, the unstoppable cleaning machine, mother of my gorgeous boys, has been complaining of tiredness over recent nights. I attributed it to the toll of looking after 2 boys, of which, Tom is cutting his last four teeth, and consequently thoroughly miserable, and Ben is, well, 9 weeks old, and communicates with cries and screams!! She's been so tired, that she's been hitting the sack before me, something in 5 years + of marriage we've never done. If we're home together, we go to bed together. Simple. So anyway, I've been stomping around, because I don't enjoy sitting by myself in the evening (in hindsight, I could have just gone up early with her, but Ben needed feeding, and I'm far too addicted to the TV to feed him upstairs, looking at the walls). I also complained that I am coping with the tiredness, so why can't she...

Well pass me a slice of that humble pie!

A trip to the hospital today has revealed that she has retained some of the placenta from Ben's birth. After 9 weeks, she is still losing blood, and a test has revealed that her blood count is very low. Hence the tiredness! How bad do I feel?

When the scan revealed it this afternoon, there were a few hours when we thought Katy may have to have a D&C. I've heard the term many times, I also know that Katy's mum had one after each of her 3 children were born - but only today did I learn that D&C stands for Dilation and Curettage. It sounds horrific, and probably feels it too, but is usually performed under General Anaesthetic. What scared us both the most, is that it can result in irreparable damage to the uterus. It wasn't until Katy told me this was a possibility, that I fully realised how much I want more children. I'll be honest, I love my children, and would do anything for them. But sometimes the stress of two made me question whether I wanted any more. I didn't cope with either Tom or Ben's early weeks very well. The crying, the sleepless nights, the projectile vomiting. But all the stress evaporates in their first smile, or their first sleep-filled night. I wouldn't want the chance to experience it all again taken away from me. From us.

As it stands the D&C isn't currently required. They've prescribed antibiotics to protect the uterus from infection, along with iron tablets and something to control the blood flow. We are praying that this course will solve the problem, and that the operation won't be needed. James, I know we can always count on your prayers.

Of all this, I suppose my biggest cause for debate is that Katy's notes after Ben's birth stated that the placenta was "incomplete", so why did nobody warn us to the possibility of retention and ask Katy to monitor the bleeding? I'd love to hear if anybody else has experienced similar problems.

Food for thought

I'm back with yet another blog name!! I wanted to say ad-hoc, as that is when I post, as and when I've got something to talk about.

I've started to take more of an interest in the state of the environment. I haven't quite made the transformation into a fully fledged tree-hugger, but the fact remains that even the most ignorant (me in this case) can be educated in a few short moments, and suddenly see that our actions now are absolutely unsustainable. I was pointed to this article on the BBC website and my thoughts instantly turned to the boys. They will be the ones faced with the fallout of this. There is an awful lot of doom and gloom about the near future of our world, but it seems justified, as even the governments seem to be paying attention.

I'd like to extend thanks to Todd Wilson, the Creative Director where I work, for opening my eyes to these issues (his particular area of interest is the Peak Oil situation). Feel free to check out the Energy links on the right, I'm absorbing them myself and formulating my own opinions, but it's all very eye opening. I'll leave you with some more food for thought, again courtesy of the BBC:

What if China catches up with the United States in consumption per person?

If the Chinese economy continues to grow at 8% a year, by 2031 income per person will equal that in the United States in 2004.

If we further assume that consumption patterns of China’s affluent population in 2031, by then 1.45 billion, will be roughly similar to those of Americans in 2004, we have a startling answer to our question.

At the current annual U.S. grain consumption of 900 kilograms per person, including industrial use, China’s grain consumption in 2031 would equal roughly two-thirds of the current world grain harvest. If paper use per person in China in 2031 reaches the current U.S. level, this translates into 305 million tons of paper—double existing world production of 161 million tons.

(There go the world’s forests.) And if oil consumption per person reaches the U.S. level by 2031, China will use 99 million barrels of oil a day. The world is currently producing 84 million barrels a day and may never produce much more. This helps explain why China’s fast-expanding use of oil is already helping to create a politics of scarcity and political instability. Or consider cars. If China one day should have three cars for every four people, as the United States now does, its fleet would total 1.1 billion vehicles, well beyond the current world fleet of 800 million. Providing the roads, highways, and parking lots for such a fleet would require paving an area roughly equal to China’s land in rice, its principal food staple.

The inevitable conclusion to be drawn from these projections is that there are not enough resources for China to reach U.S. consumption levels. The Western economic model—the fossil-fuel-based, automobile- centered, throwaway economy— will not work for China’s 1.45 billion people in 2031. If it does not work for China, it will not work for India either, which in 25 years is projected to have even more people than China. Nor will it work for the other 3 billion people in developing countries who are also dreaming the “American dream.” In an increasingly integrated world economy, where countries everywhere are competing for the same resources— the same oil, grain, and iron ore—the existing economic model will not work for industrialized countries like the United States, either.