Medical Kits

The purpose of this post is to initiate a dialogue about medical kits. I am researching what I should include in such a kit. Based on the research I have done, here’s a list of essential items along with a brief description of their purpose.
Our lives may depend on how thoughtfully we stock our medical kits. Please read through the list I’ve made and help me brainstorm for a more complete list.
The basic approach I’ve taken heeds Patriot Nurse’s statement that the three primary causes of preventable death in a SHTF scenario will be improper would care, upper respiratory infection and diarrhea. Note that in a SHFT scenario we may not have access to running water. It is clear that the hygienic conditions of our ordinary, everyday lies will degrade quickly. In this environment, diseases such as Chorea will be problematic.
The following list assumes you have already stocked basic hygiene items such as soap, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, etc. When personalizing a list for you and your family, add necessary prescription medications.

Home Births

Our society today views childbirth as a sickness that can only be managed by “professionals” in the hospital. Babies that might come out blue and unresponsive, possible hemorrhaging, and babies that get stuck in the birth canal are all things that deter families from having births at home.
These are real issues and should not be ignored, but they make up only a small percentage of birth outcomes. The vast majority of women in the world can and do give birth safely at home. As fellow survivalists, we understand that the government and media either hide statistics or distort them.
The fact is that the U.S. is ranked 24th in infant mortality following such countries as Cuba, Portugal, and Singapore. When one looks at the countries with the lowest mortality rates, at least 70% of the births are attended by midwives. At the turn of the 20th century, that same statistic was true for our country.
Now home births account for less than 3% of all births. In fact, in some of our major cities, nearly 50% of births are performed by a major surgical procedure known as Caesarean. When one investigates the facts concerning the safety and reasons for home birth, it is not hard to see that it is a better way to birth.
Regardless of opinion and inclinations during normal and peaceful times, in a survival situation caused by economic collapse or natural disaster, childbirth will have to be dealt in possibly less than ideal conditions. I believe that in such a situation, midwives will be an invaluable and precious asset.

Urban Survival!

 
No mater how much I bitch and moan, some of you just don’t listen, letting my advice go in one ear out the other. I tell you to get out of the major population areas, but you refuse, thinking you will pack up your bug out bag and head for the hills moments before the first flames light the night and the mushroom cloud hovers overhead.     
Even if you are fortunate enough to have a retreat out in the country getting to your safe haven maybe impossible during upheaval. Roads blocked by wrecked and fuelless vehicles will stop most bugouters in their tracks. Maybe you were born lucky and can make it out safely before the balloon bursts, then what?     
People in rural areas, will start shooting if threatened by mobs of refugees fleeing the city. Don’t expect to be welcomed with arms outstretched. Most country folks don’t trust outsiders; you will likely be greeted with a load of buckshot and not the cup of fresh coffee and meaningful conversation you hoped for.     
After the cities are in ruins, criminal gangs will start to migrate to the country where they will continue their business of stealing and terrorizing in more fruitful territory. If you can stay hidden and survive the first weeks after a collapse you may at some point have the entire city pretty much to yourself. If you can’t or won’t get out NOW at least start making plans to survive where you are.

Preparing Children for a Crisis

As many of us are working on our bug out location, stocking food and water, which we all know takes both time and money. You might be working on living off the grid, solar, wind and water which again is time-consuming and costly, securing guns in case martial law goes into effect, and it seems the list of things grow each time you think about what you will need. In our home, the food and water storage is the work of both of us, the off grid falls on my husband as well as working on securing our safety with guns, gas and wood. My job is securing the future of our grandchildren.

So much has been posted on the above, but I have not read much on the children who will be impacted the most in the worst case scenario. Our grandchildren range from the ages of entering the world in October 2012 to eleven and it is very important to me that life keeps some normalcy for them in changing times. Since nobody knows how long life will be effective, preparing for them is my top priority.
Preparing both our local bug out location and our second, where we will end up and hopefully live out the major portion of our time, takes planning. As some of our grandchildren are not of the age to walk far (a consideration that truly needs to be addressed by all) if the need arises, and ground needs to be covered to reach your location, have you considered how to move them if needed. A bike with a cart in tow is one option if you have the means to get them or build them.