Well, it looks like John Travolta didn’t really have to cut his Australian dongfest short on Sunday – Kelly Preston didn’t have to remove her pillow quite so soon! No, Travolta’s rep told Gossip Cop that Travolta was always scheduled to come back home after his 10-day Qantas goodwill trip on Sunday. The dongfest took place, as scheduled, and Travolta came back home to prepare for the “silent” pillow birth. PopEater had a piece about the silent birth earlier this morning – I hadn’t read it until now, because I thought it was identical to this report, from Radar, which was basically like “when the surrogate goes into labor, she can’t make a sound, ever.” What I didn’t realize is that it’s part of Scientology’s birth system stuff to not allow parents to speak to their newborn baby for SEVEN days. Can you believe that sh-t?
While John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston await the arrival of their new son Benjamin, one thing is already a known fact — when the little boy does arrive, Scientology will play a major role. John flew back to the USA from Australia on Sunday to make preparations for their new arrival, which will include a controversial “silent” Scientology birth.
“The couple will follow the church’s guidelines during delivery,” a family insider tells me. “No music, no talking and no screaming will be allowed during the pains of labor. Also their new son cannot be prodded for medical tests or spoken to for the first seven days of his life. You don’t want to do anything that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.”
Preston told Redbook magazine a few years ago that she tried to follow the church’s guidelines during the birth of daughter Ella Bleu, but after 13 long hours of labor, she told her husband, “Throw me in the car. I want an epidural!” However, due to traffic, there was not enough time to get Kelly to the hospital.
“This time around, Kelly is determined to follow her church’s guidelines,” an insider tells me. “Everyone who will be present at the birth has been given clear instructions to not make a sound.”
For your sake, Kelly, I’m hoping Benjamin will be more eager to meet you and John than Ella was!
[From PopEater]
I bet that surrogate is really regretting her life choices right about now. Not only is she not allowed to make a sound while giving birth, she can’t even mutter a simple “Praise Xenu” around the baby once he’s out. Scientologists are so messed up.
This is all kinds of wrong. In my childbirth class we viewed a movie wherein the OB demonstrated how a child has a marked preference for its parents’ voices only hours after birth. That baby has been hearing its parents voices for months inside the womb and following birth it’s going to experience silence?!?!? How terrifying! Unless you’re going to keep the mother on lockdown from like, month 6 of pregnancy that kid’s already been listening to them. The womb, btw, is a pretty noisy place.
I swear, do these people just bend over and pull these rules out of their butts?? Do they claim any kind of evidence to back up the theories behind these wackadoo notions?
@Embee: That same thought crossed my mind. Babies hear much during pregnancy and can even recognize familiar voices; how would noise “haunt” them?
As far as I know, it is neurobiologically damaging to not stimulate the baby in the sense that it might not overtly harm the brain but fewer connections will be made in the brain during that short and precious timeframe of when the brain is making billions of connections— which is during the beginning of its life!!
So not talking to the baby—
why dont they just wrap it up, stick it in a crib, and shut the door to the nursery for 7 days while theyre at it.
O
M
G.
Im basing my thoughts on all the scientific studies regarding the importance of interaction and stimulation on not just the physical but mental and emotional well being of the child. Why is it that we have the instinct to immediately start cooing and baby talking children when we see them? Its vital to their devlopment. Theres even a study that without rocking motions, the brains development is delayed and not as healthy. Everything has its purpose, even simple rocking motions will benefit the brain!! Wow Im scared for kids born into this
It is purposeful. The $cis fear the bonds of family and love. They do all they can to turn loyalty only to the org hierarchy. I know this is an old post, but I couldn’t resist commenting. I too fear for the kids.
This just seems so cruel!
So what happens if the mother inadvertenly lets out a moan or two during labor? Is she kicked out of the church?
This is the most fucked-up excuse for a religion I ever heard of in my life.
I don’t get it. The baby is already hearing them from the womb…or are they so looney that they don’t realize that? The baby is ALREADY exposed to sound. Zowee these people are truly out there.
as a few of you have said, the fetus hears a LOT while it’s still in utero, mostly the mother’s (and other family members’) voices…so how is it that the baby will be damaged by hearing voices once it’s OUTSIDE the womb?
their “rules” are most illogical…and I’d really like to ask a member of that “church” how they explain that. the response would probably be “you’re a suppressive person”.
Back in the day before Spock, there was a child psychologist named John Watson who was widely read at the time. He said babies get spoiled from being held and hugged and parents should never pick up a baby except to feed or change him. He also said the preferred way to toilet-train a baby was to take an 8-month-old and strap him to the toilet seat for hours if necessary until he does his business. Watson probably never figured out why two of his four children committed suicide when they grew up.
I have lost all respect for the Travolta’s
Surely it’s dangerous not to let him “be prodded” for medical tests. What if he needs some kind of emergency treatment?
Oh my xenu, she is literally the size of a whale or some other large sea mammal. She looks like she’s smuggling some sort of bovine under her curtain/dress. If that’s all baby, she is going to scream.
Any noise during nursing? Or is nursing not allowed, either? That alone flies in the face of the American College of Pediatrics recommendation (nursing for at least 3 months, optimally for 12, although they may have changed it again).
“Scientology”. What a bunch of crackpots, and quacks as well.
Er, not to defend scientology or anything, I thought I had read that it is the *other* people in the birth room that have to stay silent for the birth, the mother can make as much noise as she wants during labour?
*ducks and hides*
Jeez Louise. When I had my babies, especially, the second little guy, I couldn’t help myself but scream. And I have a high threashold for pain so I don’t know how this is possible.
I’d like to not see another Travolta flick for about 7 yrs.
What do you expect from a “religion” based on a science FICTION author and books? Key word there, FICTION. Anyone who believes and falls for that B.S. needs smacked upside their head. The kid is better off if they NEVER speak to him! Bunch of freaking loons.
Okay, there is no way on God’s (or Xenu’s) green earth that I would not talk, sing, coo, and adore my baby for 7 MINUTES, never mind 7 DAYS!
And I’m speaking strictly as a mother who has laboured, delivered, and nursed 3 children; I don’t give a shit what anyone says. If a doctor gave me Xenu’s “instructions”, I’d tell him to get bent!
*sidenote: I laboured without drugs (my last labour was over 36 hours before I went to the hospital) and delivered only my youngest with drugs, because I had to have an ER C-section with him.
@pinns where did you hear that? i swear katie or tom had mentioned how silent she was.
it sounds very sad.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I thought that back in the day, even before L. Ron gave us Xenu’s message, that it was common practice to not talk to, cuddle or hold your baby until s/he had been baptized. The baby’s soul was impure until then, or something. This probably comes from times when newborns frequently died shortly after birth, as a way of saving the parents from becoming emotionally invested in their child until s/he had survived the first week.
Great, now I’m depressed.
that is crazy not talking to your baby for 7 days. My baby is almost 2 months`and when she was born i was talking to her and bonding with her right away
“You don’t want to do anything that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
unlike the lifetime haunting of john’s scary toupee, right?
sheesh. 🙁
This is practically impossible, IMHO. How is she expected to feed the baby without cooing at him at least a tiny bit? Are they going to duct tape her mouth shut?
I’m not going anywhere near the silent birth BS…
So after the baby’s been hearing his mother’s voice via the womb for six months or so and then he goes through one of, if not the most traumatic experience of this life, he doesn’t so much as get a reassuring hello? He’s just ignored for a week? Sounds rather cruel, how would anyone of us like to be dissed like that for a week?
Scientology supporters must be exhausted from defending this ludicris crap.
Obvious
Sorry, I can’t remember where I read it and it bothers me, perhaps I shouldn’t have commented, but I did a quick google search to see if I could back my memory up.
Found a couple of links – if I’m allowed to post them here – but I do admit that there are many more sites that say “everyone knows” mum must be silent.
So who knows? Like I said, not trying to defend Scientology at all.
Right after the quote from the legendary L-Ron:
http://www.scientologynews.org/faq/what-is-silent-birth.html
http://www.scientologyparent.com/silent-birth/silent-birth-questions-answers/
http://www.helium.com/items/1833432-dianetics-scientology-ron-hubbard-childbirth-silent-birth
Poor Baby! I secretly hope someone talks to the kid
That kid will be grateful for the seven days with no talk of Xenu.
That poor baby. And no medical tests is irresponsible.
The Scientologists had a booth at the fair a few years ago and were giving massages (*snicker*) for $5, but you also had to give them your address. When I walked over and figured out who my DH was getting a massage from I started giving him the *get the Hell out of there, those people are batsh*t crazy* look. They STILL send literature and it is some crazy, whacked out stuff.
Wow. This makes me really sad. I feel so sorry for the baby. He’s going to feel like no one loves him. 🙁
@ Kiska…I agree!
This post has given me a serious case of the sads. Poor baby.
Wow… won’t be “prodded for medical tests?” I could be really insensitive here and mention the lack of medical attention his late son received…
I can’t stand it when religions (I use that term lightly here, natch) make their way into medical offices.
Trust proven science and medicine when there are problems, people! Babies need to be checked over ASAP!!!
The only thing I can figure about silent birth is……besides being really stupid. It has to be a rule set up by men who don’t know what it’s like to push a watermelon thru a hole the size of a lemon….it comes with alot of pain. But seeing how they don’t have to do any of the work why should they care.
Xenu knows, lets not disturb the men with childbirth while they are trying to enjoy a peaceful sauna in the bathhouses…….lol
By the way, what is the “church” stand on adoptions and or surrogate births.
I am just trying to understand why the cover-up with the fake pillow thing. Anyone have any ideas?
the nuttiness of LA is hilarious!
JT is a wanker. both of them.
If my husband suggested ‘total silence’ from me while I was in labor and for a week after, I can guarantee he would be silent, mainly because at the mere suggestion I would grab the closest blunt object, smack him upside the head and knock his dumb a$$ out cold.
So in order for the woman to be silent during the birth is she given some heavy duty drugs? As for not speaking to the baby for the first few days, there is something very disturbing about that.
PS: so Eva Longoria and Tony Parker are divorcing!!!
How can you not speak to your little newborn? I would find that impossible not to talk sweetly to the lovely little baby.
Completely cruel and bizarre.
What happens if you sneeze or cough, or fart?
And excuse me, but I really don’t remember hearing my mother’s screams/noises while giving birth to me? Do you guys?
Leaving the whole silent birth & silence for 7 days after thing aside, it really alarms me that the baby will have no medical care during that time. Newborns often develope jaundice which if left untreated, can lead to brain damage, blindness and liver damage to name a few. Of course, this is worst case scenerio but I would NEVER take that chance and you’d think after all Jet’s problems and unexpected death, they’d take every precaution necessary.
Well of course not! That’s what the aliens in the spaceships stated in their scientology rules. No, that doesn’t sound like an absolute joke of a cult/religion. (??)
This has so many levels of ridiculous it’s unbelievable. And how do you find people to fall for shit like this?
@Cheyenne – When my son was a baby, my grandmother told me I shouldn’t pick him up when he cried because “he only wants to be picked up”. I said “what’s wrong with that?” and continued to meet his emotional needs. It was one of the few times I stood up to her (read – talked back) because I felt so strongly about it. She was definitely of a different generation. My son is 38 years old and he is still a cuddle bunny but in a manly way of course. And he always picks up his own kids when they cry.
This is cruel. Unless you are a surrogate, or giving the baby up for adoption, I don’t see how someone can just give birth to a child and NOT talk to them. Absofreakinglutely NOT. I talked to my son as soon as I *finally* got to hold him. These people are INSANE.
@pinns,sorry if i came across rude. I was just curious. thanks fro the info!
I have never seen anyone who is supposed to be that pregnant (in the pictures) and doesn’t have a swollen face and lips.
It is remarkable.
@ Cheyenne: Your post #5 was EXACTLY-WORD-FOR-WORD what I was thinking. I mean, right to the letter and right down to the “most fucked-up excuse for a religion” comment.
As far as your post #8, I had no idea about this Watson guy and his children’s unfortunate situation. That is sad, and most likely his theories ARE why they killed themselves.
I can’t even imagine 18 years ago, when the son I tried for 16 years to have, was born, not talking to him and comforting him with my words when he cried.
Never mind the noise…imagine how alone a child must feel? God, that IS effed-up!
It actually makes me happy that Celebitchy readers are all so smart!
Not talking to your baby is CRAP!
It is against nature,
against mother love,
against common sense, and
against everything we know about little developing baby brains.
I’m really PISSED. I wish someone could take that baby away from these IDIOTS. There is no word for how stupid they are to worship L. Ron Hubbard. They don’t deserve a precious wee newborn. Jesus Christ. (That’s a prayer.)
Not that I approve of this but aren’t there other cultures that do the silent birth thing especially Native American ones? If a woman wants to torture herself by remaining silent I really can’t argue with that but I agree that not speaking to your child for the first 7 days is wrong especially when you consider that they are basically blind and have no other way to connect with the outside world than sound and touch. I also think it’s crazy for them to avoid medical attention especially considering the health problems of their late son.
And yes Scientology is a crappy religion based on a Sci-Fi novel = LAME.
Does this mean that all the doctors and nurses in the maternity ward are banned from touching the baby for an entire week? God, if I worked there, I’d sneak down every shift to give the poor little guy a hug.
L. Ron Hubbard was certifiable. No wonder he didn’t like psychiatry. They would have been so on to him.
Fecking Scientologists.
This is a cult that was created by a science fiction “author” (his books are TERRIBLE) who spoke about how easy it would be to create a religion. Then went ahead and did so.
All guidelines are from the mind of the man LRon Hubbard.
Any baby that is left in silence for a week should have Child Protective Services involved.
I am a certified pediatric and NICU nurse.Have been for 20 years. Oh. My God. Someone tell the Travolta’s TO WAKE UP. Not speaking to them? No tests? GREAT . No let’s raise another autistic kid. Let’s not let the baby have the best in medical care that we can now offer newborns. Despite opinion to the contrary, medical staff ARE NOT OUT TO GET YOU!! Sure, be an advocate for your own health and the health of your family. Ask questions. Compare informations. Get second opinions.Be informed. But give your kid the best start he can possibly have!! I am appalled at the Travolta’s. Someone call DCFS. Sheesh.
Money talks.
In 1967, the IRS stripped all US-based Scientology entities of their tax exemption, declaring Scientology’s activities were commercial and operated for the benefit of Hubbard. The church sued and lost repeatedly for 26 years trying to regain its tax-exempt status.
The case was eventually settled in 1993, at which time the church paid $12.5 million to the IRS — greatly less than IRS had initially demanded — and the IRS recognized the church as a tax-exempt nonprofit organization.
In addition, Scientology also dropped more than fifty lawsuits against the IRS when this settlement was reached.
Poor baby…………… 🙁
@Sarah, I’m in no way defending Scientology because they’re insane, but:
All religion is based on FICTION.
Jesus was a Jewish wizard with a virgin for a mother.
And old Moses parted the Red Sea using what, a wind machine?
Please.
Im not even surprised. When I hear something about scientology that actually makes sense and doesnt sound insane, then Ill be surprised!
Before Hubbard started Scientology he was into demonology. I’m telling you folks, this is a sick group of individuals and the stuff that goes on behind closed doors would make your skin crawl.
Why do these people still associate with a religion that didn’t recognise their deceased son’s autism?
Aside from the totally damaging and cruel nature of this 7-day prohibition, I’m wondering how you actually can resist talking to a newborn?! I mean, unless you’re Satan, it is impossible to see a squishy, sleepy newborn baby and NOT want to coo, sing, snuggle and talk. Ridiculous. Just plain stupid.
Praise St. Angie!
their “rules” are most illogical…and I’d really like to ask a member of that “church” how they explain that. the response would probably be “you’re a suppressive person”.
They would ask you —with a completely straight face— if you ever raped a baby.
Could this be why the first born was autistic? Seems like child abuse to me.
I mean hey, if you want to stay silent during and after the birth, ok go ahead. In the end, you’re probably only hurting yourself.
But no medical tests? What if the baby is born with a weak heart and needs surgery? Or is born with a rare disease? Wouldn’t you want it to be examined/treated (if it can be).
I think everybody at Benjamin Pillow’s birth will just be speechless when she pulls the pillow out, so the silent birth shouldn’t be so hard. not speaking to the infant and feeding him barley water instead of breastmilk or formula insures the brain development is stalled ehough to be raise perfectly within the Church of Sienbullogy!
This can’t be true, can it? I mean, really not letting the baby be spoken to for the first 7 days? That’s crazy and cruel!
That these two twits have spawned again is scary. There isn’t a loving mother and father anywhere in the world who wouldn’t want to coo at and talk to their newborn, except for Scientology freaks who actually put that nonsense ahead of what’s right and natural as parents.
So ridiculous. Poor, poor baby.
All the evidence I need for a fake pregnancy. Look at her hand in the top picture. Real pregnant women hold their hand under their belly to tenderly cup their baby. Kelly’s hand is on her thighs. Who wants to cup a hunk of plastic? These people are sick.
well, the kid is gonna SCREAM when he first sees dad’s toupee!!!! um, is that allowed?
That is so ice cold. A baby comes into the world, naturally shocked and terrified of the bright lights and noises and the giant creatures staring at it, and no one shows it any affection? *How to breed serial killers 101*.
Really though, the kid would be better off if they didn’t speak to him for about seven years.
These Scientology ideas are half baked. They seem to take a sliver of information and then expand with L. Ron Crazy Science and then pedal it to unsuspecting masses who recognize the “sliver” of truth, but are not “told” the ideology is from a con-artist, cheating, LSD-loving, plagerist parading as a writer, who then discovered multi-level marketing and called it a religion. And then stacked it at the top with famous faces — and at the bottom with actual real people who give their lives over to a cult who takes away all their choice and pay them nothing for it. And beat them. And brainwash them. And steal their dignity and purpose in life.
I hope the Travolta family the best with their new precious little baby.
“You don’t want to do anything that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.”
Oh, I think its a little late for that.
This is so bogus. All of it. Starting with scientology, then their marriage, and probably the “pregnancy”.
Insane.
to piedlourde…I’m laughing because I ALMOST wrote “they’d call you a suppressive person and ask you if you raped a baby” but I edited that part out!
great minds, and all that…
“a con-artist, cheating, LSD-loving, plagerist parading as a writer”
Anti-icon, don’t forget “pedophile”.
I am not a Scientologist nor am I defending them… but they do address this on their own site. The mother may scream and moan all she wants/needs.. the idea is to limit the use of actual WORDS. In addition, they do not ignore the baby for 7 days, at least according to this:
http://www.scientologyparent.com/silent-birth/church-of-scientology-international-response-on-scientology-dianetics-and-childbirth/
Does the Scientology religion recommend that no one speaks to the newborn for 7 days after the delivery?
Absolutely not. This would be completely contrary to one of the fundamental Scientology principles, which is that the individual is a spiritual being. L. Ron Hubbard’s writings stress the importance of communication as a basis for happiness and success in living.
wonder if the first son’s problems stemmed from this kind of neglect?
@newtsgal: My thoughts regarding the reason for the silence were similar to yours. To listen to their wives’ agony might make them uncomfortable and have to acknowledge their part in the whole pregnancy. Ugh. These people’s beliefs just sicken me.
Thanks Jamie for the truth.
It is pretty hard for a woman not to utter a sound during childbirth..whole thing sounds odd and unnatural.
Ok. Brace yourselves ladies, because there is even MORE to it than this: I was involved with the church for a very brief time a couple of years ago, and not only will the baby be in complete silence for seven days, Scientology also dictates that the newborn is ENTIRELY SEPERATED FORM THE MOTHER for the first full week. Women are taught that it has something to do with children being given the chance to “carve a place for themmselves in the world withought their mother’s influence after 9 months of attachment” something along those lines.
To answer the question about feeding, The book “Dianetics” tells readers that breastmilk is “poor in nutrients” and in fact is the “LEAST ideal food for babies” as L. Ron’s son almost died form malnutrition form it. The most hardcore followers feed their babies a barley water formula which is brewed every day and consists of barley, water, and honey (same stuff little Suri reportedly drank btw). Scary stuff right?
Although I never made the leap to full fledged memeber, I learned enough while there to be turned off by many things, but, alas, to each their own I guess.
“Also their new son cannot be prodded for medical tests or spoken to for the first seven days of his life.”
So if the baby suddenly has a problem or stops breathing or has a seizure in those first seven days they don’t take him to doctor or what? Makes me wonder if something happened to Jett during those first few days that triggered the autism?
No talking to the baby for those seven days too? After nine months of being surrounded by noise and its parents’ voices the baby is left alone in silence for a week? That’s child neglect if not cruelty, no?
The whole theory behind silent birth is a crock. Basketball out an opening that is normally the diameter of a quarter. That’s all I’m gonna say.
I really give up on people like this. For Kelly to be apart frm her huge and poorly made pillow for 7 days is just cruel. I think the folks that made it for her made Mrs. Doubtfire’s outfit as well.
I can´t believe they can be so ignorant not to let a doctor take some test of that baby, specially when one of their kids had a problem. it´s unbelievable.
I was telling my husband about this post. He asked,”What was the story with ‘Xeborg’? Didn’t he come to Earth to take a poop and he fell into a volcano or something?” ROTFL! He was completely serious when he asked me that question!!!
Erica (post 79), is it true that they actually feed newborns a formula made of barley and HONEY?!
The barley’s bad enough, but I think every parent who’s taken their newborn to the pediatrician knows that you’re NEVER supposed to feed a baby honey during the first year. It can cause INFANT BOTULISM! And if their poor baby has infant botulism during the first week, I guess it can’t be prodded for tests either.
I feel so sad for the innocent little baby. These crackpots are so dangerous.
I’m sorry, but I am pregnant with my 2nd child and I know that with my first child I just about punched the doctor because the epidural quit working. A silent birth..WTH!and no talking to the kid for 7 days..gimme a break. I feel sorry for the kid.
I don’t think of this as a religion but as a Cult. It is Scarey!
I can’t believe that their church does not allow conversations for 10 day with a newborn when any onther religion promotes it as a good bonding for the baby. I would think twice about leaving my baby for 10 days of silence and to give a baby barley and honey they just asking for trouble somewhere down the road they should stop and think go their oldest son and him having sizesures
God help this new little life; Note to John and Kelly; You are both obviously very talented “actors”, but you seriously are in need of help in the real world. And by the way, the God I speak of is the creator of all not the one from outer space they worship. How very,very sad. Anyone with any kind of mind would know that this “Scientology” is a CULT and these two and the other who have joined them are so desperate for real answers in this life that they are willing to look anywhere, except to Christ. Anyone who loves the Lord should pray for this family.