Hellena Post is Blogging Again

[bea]

Probably the first sensible thing she's done in decades.

[dora]

Interesting. Having your tubes tied is much more invasive than a vasectomy. I wonder why they chose that?

I thought about doing it if I had needed up having a c section after #3 but I personally wouldn't do it separately.

[lilith]

She had an ectopic pregnancy a few months ago - I think that's what led to the tube tying decision.

I don't think they are always strictly monogamous, so a vasectomy for Currawong wouldn't quite do the trick.

[It'sFunToRun]

This is interesting because I never got the impression that Helena doesn't want more kids, I wonder I'd the reason for the tube tying is that she figures that a new fetus would likely be miscarried or born early enough to cause severe problems and Helena is compassionate enough to spare the fetus suffering. On one hand I feel like Helena would have more respect for a fetus's life than fun dies do.

On the other hand, this is the woman who had umbilical cord sex while waiting for the second twin to be born.

[Blahblah]

She amended her blog to address nasty people who assumed it was penetrative sex. She says she ingested the semen orally because the method of delivery is irrelevant apparently.

[happy atheist]

She amended her blog to address nasty people who assumed it was penetrative sex. She says she ingested the semen orally because the method of delivery is irrelevant apparently.

Well, that's less horrifying. But I can not imagine being in the mood to give a blow job while in labor/having just given birth. No thanks!

[It'sFunToRun]

Well, that's less horrifying. But I can not imagine being in the mood to give a blow job while in labor/having just given birth. No thanks!

Did not know that, thanks blahblah!

I vaguely remember Helena publiclly announcing that curradong had genital herpes, I hope that was after she gave him the birthing blow job.

[Chowder Head]

Did not know that, thanks blahblah!

I vaguely remember Helena publiclly announcing that curradong had genital herpes, I hope that was after she gave him the birthing blow job.

great i have been re traumatized just ewwwwwewwwwwwwww :brain-bleach: :ew: :ew: :ew: :ew:

[happy atheist]

Did not know that, thanks blahblah!

I vaguely remember Helena publiclly announcing that curradong had genital herpes, I hope that was after she gave him the birthing blow job.

Oh, the herpes was old news by the time they had the twins. Sorry.

[Chowder Head]

Oh, the herpes was old news by the time they had the twins. Sorry.

So you are telling me that he has herpes and she might because you know unprotective sex and they went ahead and had vaginal birth :pink-shock: :pink-shock: :pink-shock:

[Blahblah]

I'm pretty sure she blogged about how, after years of managing to avoid it, she ended up contracting herpes from him only a few months ago. But it was always a risk.

[Rebelwife]

So you are telling me that he has herpes and she might because you know unprotective sex and they went ahead and had vaginal birth :pink-shock: :pink-shock: :pink-shock:

Given her (lack of) prenatal care, it's a crazy risk to take. However, having the herpes virus doesn't automatically rule out a vaginal birth. Many women, particularly those with long term, asymptomatic herpes infections can give birth vaginally with no problem. Obviously it's something that should be monitored carefully.

[Mama Mia]

Given her (lack of) prenatal care, it's a crazy risk to take. However, having the herpes virus doesn't automatically rule out a vaginal birth. Many women, particularly those with long term, asymptomatic herpes infections can give birth vaginally with no problem. Obviously it's something that should be monitored carefully.

Yeah, I'm of the generation where herpes was incredibly common ( post sixties sexual revolution- pre- aids -- heavy on the sex, drugs and rock 'n roll) and know a lot of women who have it, though fortunately I avoided it :pray: , All of them had regular vaginal birth, in the hospital. I think the rule is just that it's not active at the time of the birth.

[So Many Lies]

I think I read on Lauren ' s blog that currawong didn't have the snip because some naturopath told them all the backed up sperm causes an immunological response that could lead to serious disease. it annoyed me greatly. After all she has birthed a lot of babies which in itself can cause long term health problems. And if they're not monogamous then he can get the snip as well as her getting the tunes tied.

I did, however, really like the "end of fertility ritual". Sounds like a great idea. I'd like one.

[fiery redhead]

You can still be a hippie and practice hygiene... Salt crystals on your arm pit hair is taking it too far.

[mausi]

You can still be a hippie and practice hygiene... Salt crystals on your arm pit hair is taking it too far.

I didn't even know that was possible!

[crazyforkate]

Wait wait wait, so the crystals developed?! Ew! I thought that meant, you know, some magic salt thing that took the smell away. Gross!

[lilith]

Oh Hellena, much as I enjoy reading your rants (even though you call me a franger. And for those who aren't Australian, franger is slang for condom, so I have no idea what her rationale for calling us that is), I could have lived forever without knowing that:

" I remember once Hairy Dave back in Maccy, telling Currawong rather sheepishly that he wasn't trying to cut his lunch, but he saw me lift my arm, and the sweat glistening on my armpit hairs was glinting in the sunlight, and he couldn't help it mate, but he barred up"

[Blahblah]

Thanks Lilith. I'm just having a cuppa and a bikkie and when I read about Hellena's erotic armpit hair I nearly choked.

As for calling us frangers, I'm sure she is being insulting, but in my day frangers were useful things that protected you from unwanted outcomes. I'm happy to be a useful thing that protects people.

[lilith]

Thanks Lilith. I'm just having a cuppa and a bikkie and when I read about Hellena's erotic armpit hair I nearly choked.

As for calling us frangers, I'm sure she is being insulting, but in my day frangers were useful things that protected you from unwanted outcomes. I'm happy to be a useful thing that protects people.

Think of how poor Hairy Dave must have felt.....

[mausi]

Think of how poor Hairy Dave must have felt.....

I wonder if he's called Hairy Dave because he himself is hairy or if he has a thing for hair. Or both.

I thought Frangers was just a strange mis-combination of Free-Jinger, and instead of Fringers we became Frangers. Because Fringers is just too authentic. Had no idea it was slang for condoms.

[Artemis]

I've always assumed that someone with a bit of Latin created it from the Latin verb 'frangere' - to break.

It's the same root as fraction and fracture and frangible.

It doesn't just mean 'to break'

It also means to shatter, crush, dishearten, subdue, weaken, move, or discourage.

Which is interesting, because by using the word they are acknowledging the effect on them of any sort of critique or commentary: its usage implies that they are too weak to withstand it.

It's also used on a bell inscription in a poem by Schiller: 'vivos voco, mortuos plango, fulgura frango'. Which means 'I call the living, I mourn the dead, I refract lightning'.

Quite appropriate, really, for what we do . . . call the living, mourn the dead, and provide protection against the strike of fanaticism.

[It'sFunToRun]

I love Hellena! I'd love to see a documentary about her family's life. I wonder if her kids will marry super young (I could see this happening, because they're hippy dippy enough to believe their first crush is Real True Love[tm][/tm]), and also have 8 kids a piece. I wonder how their unschooling will work out for them, because I could see it working really well or leaving them completely ignorant.

[bionicmlle]

I assumed franger was slang for friend-stranger and was a term for posters on their blog that they didn't really KNOW but sort of internet-know.

Silly me - I always have been slow on the uptake. :?

[lilith]

I love Hellena! I'd love to see a documentary about her family's life. I wonder if her kids will marry super young (I could see this happening, because they're hippy dippy enough to believe their first crush is Real True Love[tm][/tm]), and also have 8 kids a piece. I wonder how their unschooling will work out for them, because I could see it working really well or leaving them completely ignorant.

Hellena had her eldest daughter when she was 21. The father never seems to have been in the picture. She was working in an office in North Sydney at the time ( amazing, I know) but moved back in with her mother (who is with a Jehovahs Witness, or Mormon, or 7th day Adventist, sorry, I forget which) after Jess ( her daughter) was born. She soon embarked on her search for a lifestyle that worked for her, settling on what she terms as "radical lesbianism" by the time Jess was a toddler, at which point she moved to the Blue Mountains and became very involved with and invested in the lesbian community there. Jess even attended kindergarten.

She met Currawong (who was involved in the Melbourne anarcho-punk scene) and they embarked upon their romance (she has shared their love story in excruciatingly wordy and pretentious detail as a multi part love story called Balthazar and Nimue. And yes, she has a son named Balthazar) and they started drifting into and out of various hippie communities, birthing babies and becoming more extreme in their lifestyle and beliefs. Their eldest son attended school for a little while, but they were soon homeschooling and then unschooling their ever growing tribe.

There are heaps of dramas and falling outs with various communities in the ensuing years - I can't even start to list it, though most of it is on the blog. She seems to have been desperately seeking a community and lifestyle that she feels she fits into for most of her adult life.

All this to say - Jess (eldest child) has experienced some pretty dramatic lifestyle changes on a pretty regular basis in her life with her mum. She's now in her early 20s and seems to have a close relationship with her mother, step father and half siblings, but she left home pretty young (16 or 17) and seems to be seeking a more mainstream life than her mother's. It must be difficult for her with a complete lack of formal schooling past primary level and having drifted from community to community for most of her life. She visits Hellena regularly and supported her through her births and with new babies. She doesn't have any children of her own and doesn't seem to currently be in a relationship.

The younger kids are experiencing a different childhood - they have never known formal education or mainstream life, and most of the moving around and dramatic fallings out with communities happened when they were very young. Their life has been more stable in its own way - no dramatic changes in lifestyle and beliefs, security of a large family that certainly appears to be full of love, becoming established in a community where many share the values of their parents. Whilst I think their lack of education and exposure to mainstream values will present some issues for them, as will their very names, I don't see transitioning to adult life being as difficult for them as for Jess.

My guess, based on what I've seen in the alternative community, is that some will stay and some will go mainstream. They will probably leave home quite young (with full parental support) seeking autonomy but remain close to their family.