Real Food, Cloth Diapering and Weaning – Sunday Surf

Image by Chiot's Run via Flickr

Here is what I read this week that I found interesting! I think you will, too.

My Children are People – “Seeing my children as people helped me look at every interaction and think hard about how I would want to be treated in that situation.”

How to Freeze Food in Glass Jars – “The world is yours, of course – anything you can freeze can go in a glass jar…”

“I Can’t Afford the Start Up Costs of Cloth Diapering” – “I have a few issues with the “start up costs of cloth diapering” argument for not using cloth though, I have to tell you. It doesn’t make sense. Are we Americans so short sighted that we can’t see past a few months into the future?”

The Weaning Party – “At first it was mostly about nourishment, and later mostly about comfort and closeness. Nursing gave us ample opportunities for physical closeness, and I think it brought us very close together emotionally too. It meant that even when we were apart, we were never far from each other’s thoughts.”

15-15 for Marriages with Young Children – “This 15 minutes of intentionally restorative time will have a cumulative effect in the week for both of you.”

Talking Real Food with Robyn O’Brien – “We need to demand that companies take out dyes, high fructose corn syrup and the like, by voting with our dollars. If we buy foods that do not contain unhealthy ingredients, O’Brien said, the industry will provide more of those options and the accessibility of healthy options for everyone will increase.”

Why I UCed – “Unassisted birth is not everyone’s choice, but I do feel it is a viable option for women who want it.”

Best Natural and Organic Face Soap? – “Besides the cosmetic benefits, it makes me feel really good to know that when Baby plants his frequent open mouth kisses all over my face, he’s not ingesting toxins.”

The Slippery Slope of Soap – “Unfortunately, many of the things we use as ‘soap’ are actually harsh detergents or chemical cocktails.”

I am Not Raising Obedient Children – “I don’t want children who obey without hesitation.  I want children who can think for themselves, recognize and listen to their feelings and instincts and respond appropriately.”

Check out Adventures in Mommyhood, Authentic Parenting, Becoming Crunchy, Karen’s Healthy Lifestyle,The New Mommy Files: Memories, Milestones and Missteps, Hobo Mama, I Thought I Knew Mama, Mama Eve, Momma Jorje, One Rich Mother, Greener Cleaning Moms, and The Parent Vortex for more Sunday Surfing!

Epidurals, Fruit Juice and Household Toxins – Sunday Surf

Babies and Birth

And This is What It’s Like… – “I think it’s really important for those who have loved ones struggling with infertility to understand, at least on the surface, what it’s like.”

Ask Me About E’s Birth When You Have a Few Hours…. – “It is about the hours upon hours I sat with my midwives preparing mentally, physically and emotionally for his birth.  It is the almost 2 days I labored with him.  And yes, it is also the cesarean delivery.  And the triumph I felt afterwards. “

My (Birth) Partner: How I Know That Some Men DO Belong in a Primary Support Role – “…he was a fantastic doula. Top-notch. And we feel infinitely closer now, having shared that experience, having been together with my body in that way.”

Epidurals: A Feminist Issue – “At the risk of sounding outrageous, it is my belief that the way that we approach birth in our society–uninformed, relying on the experts, medicated, numbed, unable to walk, unable to feel our body’s urges and power, fearful, unsupported, and ultimately perhaps cut open–is a major contributor to the oppression of women today, and a powerful force in silencing our voices.”

Christianity

Where Were You, Jesus? – “And another voice whispered, ‘I understand. I too watched a Son suffer‘.”

Food

The Juicy Details About Fruit Juice – “Did you know that one glass of apple juice can contain as much sugar as fourteen Pixy Stix?!”

Cleaning

Nontoxic, Homemade Oven Cleaner – Will It Work? – “I’m 36 years old. Would you like to know how many times I’ve cleaned an oven? Never.”

Moving Away From Household Toxins – an Update – “As we’ve made these changes in the kitchen, I have been getting a little shocked at how much fake food we’ve consumed without question…it’s becoming quite disturbing to me.”

Parenting

Your Children are Listening – “Don’t be surprised if a child acts upon what they are exposed to. Because these ‘cool’ songs, make it seem like the ‘cool’ thing to do.”

Being Baby Led – Twin Style – “It can be very easy to lump them together as ‘the twins’. But they aren’t a pair. They are 2 seperate beings that just happened to inhabit my womb at the same time with their own needs and body clock.”

I Never Wanted to be “THAT” Mom – “The thing is, the mom I thought was so cooky actually has a few things going for her!  She is informed.  She doesn’t just blindly follow the pack doing what everyone else does because, well, that’s what everyone else does.”

Thank God For All I’ve Missed – “My time will come. It will, because I’m determined to reach my dreams. I have a fire in my soul and I have no doubt that I’ll one day share that with the world. But that time is not now. Now is my time to give to my family.”

Check out Adventures in Mommyhood, Authentic Parenting, Baby Dust Diaries, ChildOrganics,Cloth Diapering Mama, Fabulous Mama Chronicles, Hobo Mama, I Thought I Knew Mama, Mama and Baby Love, Mama Eve, Maman A Droit, Momma Jorje, Monkey Butt Junction, Motherhood Moments, My Inspired Baby, Navelgazing, and The Parent Vortex for more Sunday Surfing!

Easter, Babies, and Sleep – Sunday Surf

Babies and Birth

My Beautiful, Peaceful Birth Space –“It’s hard to explain in words what it means to walk into this space to give birth instead of into a hospital room.”

Is Fear in Pregnancy (and Birthing) Inevitable? – “…it seems pretty unhealthy to be so scared of such a normal and natural process, doesn’t it?”

Getting a Baby on a Schedule – “The problem can come in when someone tells us that we HAVE TO get our babies on a schedule from the get-go or the entire world will crumble apart.”

The Power of Women…The Power of Community – “...I think I got so into it because I was just so impressed with seeing all those women in person who really knew and felt the importance of supporting women in birth.”

Really, My Breastmilk is Turning to Water!? – “The transition from exclusive breastfeeding to full use of family foods is a very vulnerable period.”

The Curious Case of the Crying Baby – “Just as I would never outright ignore someone who was speaking to me, especially someone I care about, I will never ignore Annabelle’s cries, but I am starting to view them differently.”

Bedsharing Rewards – “The morning begins with a babble rather than cries, and my baby lays next to me babbling and smiling until I decide I am ready to face the day.”

When You Have Tried for a Year – “Not only are you now in a the new category of ‘infertile’, you have to deal with people telling you that you are doing something wrong and need to try their method.”

Four Lies Sleep Trainers Tell You (and One Truth They Won’t!) – “How many adults fall asleep being rocked? How many still co-sleep with their parents? Not everyone was sleep trained, so obviously the child does decide to sleep on his/her own eventually.”

Parenting

Verses to Parent By: Part 2 – “When I was yelling at my kids, constantly criticizing, withholding love because of my disapproval of their actions or spanking my children, those actions were not showing them my love.  They were showing them my authority, my ego and conditional love.”

As Easy as Falling Off a Log: Advertising to Children (Part Two) – “A half hour spent on Nickolodeon was a half hour of “I want that!” “I need that!” as commercial after commercial advertised directly to my daughter…”

Proceed with Caution – “Each child is unique and develops at a different pace, focusing on different aspects of growth.”

Laughing All the Way to the Breastmilk Bank – “I boo the toy industry for including a bottle with every baby doll. It’s one way bottle feeding is normalized when it should be the exception.”

You Let Your Daughter Play with THAT? – “I find it so ironic that in a society that’s so entrenched with sex and sexuality that parents choose to get their blood boiling over a doll that mimics natural feeding.”

Easter

Healthy and Homemade Easter and Ostara Basket Ideas (with Tutorial Links) – “For families who would like to avoid Easter and Ostara baskets full of sugary, processed foods (think Peeps and Cadbury Creme Eggs) and cheap plastic toys…”

Get Your Egg On: Eco-Eggs Coloring Kit – “The dyes are made from plant, fruit, and vegetable extracts (rather than arsenic and unicorn tears or whatever is usually in that stuff).”

Easter Basket Gift Ideas – “But if you eschew all that plastic crap and you don’t particularly want your kids to have all that processed sugar what do you?”

Food

Food Schizophrenia: Living in the “Real World” – “I kept my thoughts of ‘Would you like Blue Dye Number 1 for Attention Deficit Disorder, or Red #40 for anaphylactic shock?’ to myself. Instead I said, ‘Blue Gatorade or Purple?'”

Check out Adventures in Mommyhood, Authentic Parenting, Baby Dust Diaries, ChildOrganics,Cloth Diapering Mama, Fabulous Mama Chronicles, Hobo Mama, I Thought I Knew Mama, Mama and Baby Love, Mama Eve, Maman A Droit, Momma Jorje, Monkey Butt Junction, Motherhood Moments, My Inspired Baby, Navelgazing, and The Parent Vortex for more Sunday Surfing!

Sunday Surf for week of March 20

I got carried away again this week so we have another mega links Sunday Surf.

Food and Recipes

Celebrating 20,000 Hits: Interview with Christine Ortiz of “Milk & Honey Organics” – For those in the upstate SC area, check out this interview. I have tried out this service yet but really want to and found the interview interesting.

Bacon Irish Soda Bread – Unusual bread recipe

Making Lunchtime Fun: Muffin Tin Meals! – I’ve heard of this idea before and love it but still have yet to implement it. Guess I’m just lazy?? I even have a nibble tray so I’m set. Maybe this week will be THE week.

Seriously Eating II: 94 Recipes from Serious Eats’ Healthy and Delicious Column – The title says it all

Dehydrating the Days Away – Funny post about dehydrating food. I have good memories of my parents doing this when I was a kid, especially my dad’s beef jerky.

Finding Better Health Through a Traditional Diet – Another great post from Natural Parents Network about what a traditional, real food diet is

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins – A friend brought me muffins like these after I had my daughter and they were fantastic!

Easy Breakfast and Lunch Ideas – Loved all these ideas!

Healthier Nachos and Green Brown Rice – I have never heard of green rice before. I totally want to try this.

Miscarriage

The Other Side – Sad story, recounting mourning with a friend through her miscarriage

Sound Bites from a Miscarriage Journey – Having been through miscarriage myself, I can truly relate to and appreciate this post

Moms Supporting Other Moms

Please Think Before You Comment – A mom of a nursing toddler gives some thoughtful advice

Let’s All Try Not to Be Jerks – Great post about how moms need to support each other

Lactivism, Breast Feeding, Bottle Feeding, Formula And Mothers At War – This one goes hand-in-hand with the “Please Think Before you Comment” post above

Childbirth

Birth Without Fear Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Be Scared – Although I can honestly say that birth did not scare me, I really, really liked this post a lot.

An Alternative To Perineal Massage For Childbirth Prep – Good info to keep in mind for my next pregnancy

One Response to ‘Eww! Birth is Icky!’ Squeamishness – I really appreciated this post about birth, sex and breastfeeding.

Parenting

Feeding to Sleep – My sentiments exactly!

Attachment Parenting Series: Beware of Baby Trainers – Some solid information that explains this “Baby B” of the AP style

Carseats – Lots of great links and info about the recommendations for rear-facing and booster seats

Shepherding a Child’s Heart: a review by Anne Sokol – Great review on the reasons this book is concerning

Eco-friendly Stuff

Sarah’s Stitches Wet Bags – I hadn’t heard of Sarah’s Stitches before and enjoyed learning about them in this review

Homemade Cleaning Spray – Good stuff and piggybacks nicely with my green spring cleaning tips!

Check out Adventures in Mommyhood, Authentic Parenting, Baby Dust Diaries, ChildOrganics,Cloth Diapering Mama, Fabulous Mama Chronicles, Hobo Mama, I Thought I Knew Mama, Mama and Baby Love, Mama Eve, Maman A Droit, Momma Jorje, Monkey Butt Junction, Motherhood Moments, My Inspired Baby, Navelgazing, and The Parent Vortex for more Sunday Surfing!

Sunday Surf for week of November 14

Anniversary Giveaway: CaughtREDhanded Jewelry Only one entry so far so your chances of winning are high!

Brains vs. Batteries over at Momlogic

Green Gift Monday is the New Black Friday over at Treehugger

Breastfeeding a Toddlby: the Myths and the Reality and Looking Forward over at Grumbles and Grunts

 Social Media vs. SEO: My Approach over at Problogger

As I Lay Her Down to Sleep and I Heart My Perineum over at Inexplicable Ways

Oxytocin More than Mere ‘Love Hormone’ over at WebMD

What Do You Think of Instant Rice? over at The World’s Healthiest Foods

The Emotional Age Issue over at Answers in Genesis

Top 10 Movie Plot Holes You Probably Never Noticed Before over at Geekdad

Braiding Native American Heritage Month with Thanksgiving: A Native American Mother’s Perspective  over at  All Things Mothering

God Lovingly Pursues Us When We Fail: Peter…Again over at My Journey to Lean

The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth: Book Review

If you only read one book during pregnancy about childbirth, read this one! The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer is the book that helped me make the decision to go with a birth center for the birth of my baby. There is so much helpful information about childbirth and what your options are.

It isn’t the kind of book you have to read cover-to-cover. It has chapters on various childbirth topics so you can go straight to what interests you easily. The back of the book includes info on all the research and studies to back up what is contained in the book.

The table of contents is as follows:

Image via http://www.hencigoer.com

Introduction: Obstetric Management: What’s Wrong with This Picture?

1. The Cesarean Epidemic: Obstetrics on the Cutting Edge

2. The Full-Term Breech Baby: Cesarean Section is Not the Only Answer

3. Induction of Labor: Mother Nature Knows Best

4. IVs: “Water, Water, Everywhere, Nor Any Drop to Drink”

5. Electronic Fetal Monitoring and Cesarean for Fetal Distress: The Machine that Goes Ping!

6. When Doctors Break the Membranes: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Break It

7. Slow Labor: Patience Is a Virtue

8. Epidurals and Narcotics: A Shot in the Dark

9. Episiotomy: The Unkindest Cut

10. Elective Repeat Cesarean Section: Just Say No

11. Professional Labor Support: Mothering the Mother

12. Obstetricians, Midwives, and Family Practitioners: Someone to Watch Over You

13. The Place of Birth: Location, Location, Location

Here are some excerpts from the book:

“Obstetricians work within the medical model, a model that says drugs and procedures are the answer to whatever goes wrong. However, labor difficulties usually resolve themselves with tincture of time or simple remedies. Sterner, riskier measures are rarely required.”

“While my intent is to enlighten you and to offer strategies to meet a wide range of individual needs, you may also find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the many possibilities I present and their various trade-offs. Think of them merely as jumping-off points for discussions with your doctor or midwife — and, in fact, how he or she reacts to your raising these issues can tell you whether you have the right person. You can, of course, also leave all or most decisions up to your caregiver. That is a perfectly valid choice. The important thing is that it be a conscious choice, not one you felt constrained to make.”

Free Diapers!

I love free stuff so when I saw this writing contest for a $100 gift certificate to Cotton Babies, I jumped on it! The theme is “I’m Glad You Were Born.” Below is my contest entry. It is actually an edited down version of my published story How Motherhood Came to Me. Hope I win!!

The first time I saw your face I didn’t believe it. Maybe I still don’t in a way. You swam up to us and I turned around and looked at your father in disbelief. You’re real, you’re here, you are the most beautiful human being I’ve ever seen, and I can’t believe you’re mine. Through the years I had told myself that I really would never have a child. And I guess, in that raw moment, my first emotion was shock, disbelief, even in spite of all the facts and evidence to the contrary.

I loved you immediately. I was in a swirl, a fog. as you were laid on my chest, as I cradled your tiny, vernix-covered body. You were very real and had been wanted for so long. You came out screaming, which was unexpected, but makes perfect sense now. I always heard water babies were calm, but calm has never described you. You came on your due date, right in the beautiful sunny spring morning hours. I had labored all night without even realizing it. It felt like time stood still. Labor was smooth, steady, quiet, peaceful. Warm water, dim lights, soothing voices, calming hands.

Nursing you is especially precious to me. I love having you so close to me, especially at night. Sometimes I gaze at you sleeping and try to soak you in. I know soon that you will be across the hall, sleeping on your own. But for right now you need me. You want me. I know too quickly you won’t be my baby anymore. Already you’re toddling around, terrorizing our house. But at night, you are still. You are quiet. You still enjoy turning around after nursing and snuggling next to me. I always thought by now I’d want you in your own room, but instead I find myself dreading that inevitability. I treasure you, my precious gift from God.

I love you with all my being and don’t care if that means I’m more “mother” now than anything else. I won’t apologize for “losing” myself to motherhood. On the contrary, it is with your birth that I have found myself.

Doula Defined

I wanted to do something special when I reached 1,000 hits and that day has finally come! So I’m excited to welcome my first guest writer to the blog!! Her name is April and she is also a mommy. She has 3 children (7, 5, and 3) and below will tell you what her job as a doula entails! Be sure to check out her website and Facebook page, too. Enjoy!

I am a doula…a helper to laboring women. I love my “job”!! Seeing a new baby come into the world is amazing. I will never tire of it. Seeing a mother allow her body to birth her baby is also an amazing thing! I have been at several births now and each one is unique. I have been a doula at births at a birthing center and hospitals. I have supported mothers through all different types of childbirth, from a completely natural one to a c-section and everything in between. There are comfort techniques that work for one mother that might not work for another. There are positions that some moms love and others hate. That is what I am there for….to help the mom find what works for her and encourage her in it.

My job is to allow the mother to do whatever works for her during labor, to suggest positions and offer comfort techniques that the parents might not think of on their own. One thing I try to do is include the dad as much as possible during labor. Dads are a great help for the mom, and I never want to take that place. As a doula, I will suggest things that might work for the mom, but it is totally her decision if she wants to take my suggestions. It is all about the mother and allowing her to have the birth she desires.

I will meet with the parents 3 times before the birth of their baby and we will discuss all aspects of their birth, from helping to write a birth plan to answering any questions they might have. I explain to them how I am able to help during labor, through massage, suggesting various positions (sitting on the birthing ball, hands and knees, etc.) and other comfort techniques (cold washcloth, hot rice sock, help with breathing, etc.). I let the mom know that I will be with her the whole time and my focus will be on her, supporting her! I make myself available for phone calls and let the mom know I will come when she is ready for me.

Being a doula has been a very rewarding experience for me!

Thanks to Julia for allowing me to write this post. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments or email them to carolinadoulas@gmail.com

April Menking is a labor doula and childbirth educator. She, along with Kelly Hammond and Katie Padilla run Carolina Doulas, a group dedicated to assisting women in having the birth they desire. All 3 are CAPPA trained and would love to work with you. Visit their website, Carolina Doulas, for more information.

Waterbirth

I still remember the day I decided I was going to have a water birth. I was newly married, nowhere near contemplating having children yet living in a one bedroom apartment with my husband. I can still remember sitting at my computer desk when I somehow stumbled upon information about water birth. I had never heard of it nor had anyone I knew of at the time. But the more I read about it, the more I was convinced and decided then and there I was going to have a water birth. When I told my husband and best friend, they both thought I was crazy but that didn’t matter to me. And all these years later (around 7), I had the water birth I planned on. I’m so thankful I stumbled upon that information! What a wonderful experience it was!

The benefits of water birth are amazing! The first book I read that had a lot of great information about water births was Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper. Here are some of the wonderful benefits a mother and baby experience when a mother births her baby in the water:

• Greater comfort and mobility. The mother has much greater ease and freedom to move spontaneously and to change position to assist the descent of the baby.
• Reduction of pressure on the abdomen. Buoyancy promotes more efficient uterine contractions and better blood circulation, resulting in better oxygenation of the uterine muscles, less pain for the mother, and more oxygen for the baby.
• Promotes deeper relaxation. As a woman relaxes deeply in water, her hormones kick in and she starts progressing faster and with more rhythm; labor becomes more efficient.
• Water relaxes the pelvic floor muscles.
• Water minimizes pain so effectively that for most women other pain control methods are no longer needed.
• Immersion is often more effective and safer than an epidural. Some people call waterbirth an “aquadural” or “the midwife’s epidural”.
• Lowering of blood pressure. When anxiety is causing high blood pressure, immersion in water often helps lower it.
• Change of consciousness. Immersion helps relieve anxiety and promotes relaxation. Water helps a woman to let go and focus inward as labor strengthens.
• Empowerment of the mother. When a woman delivers her baby while remaining awake, aware and in control, it greatly enhances the birth experience for her and becomes a source of great personal strength and power that enriches her life forever.
• Water seems to alleviate stress-related hormones, allowing the mother’s body to produce endorphins, which are pain-inhibitors.
• Water causes the perineum to become more elastic and relaxed, which reduces the incidence and severity of tearing and the need for an episiotomy and stitches.

What about the risks? Is it safe? Check out Barbara Harper’s article on this to get all the answers to those questions. Just briefly, though, babies do not breathe until exposed to the air. “As soon as the newborn senses a change in environment from the water into the air, a complex chain of chemical, hormonal and physical responses initiate the baby’s first breath.” This is the question I see most asked and you can read all the reasons why in the article linked above.

I think, more than research, what speaks to me is hearing other women’s stories and experiences. I have read and heard a lot of wonderful water birth stories and wanted to share mine with you.

For me, once the contractions kicked in and I needed to stop and concentrate through them, I wanted to be in the water. While at home, before I went to the birth center, I got into the water and felt instant comfort and reduced pain. I ate the chicken and rice “labor day” soup my mom had prepared for me and shortly after that, we were off to the birth center! Once we arrived at the birth center, I had to wait a little while to get in since I was still in early labor. The contractions were harder for me to deal with out of the water. I knew I needed to wait a little while though and we tried different techniques for the contractions. The worst was laying on the bed though so I didn’t do that much at all! It wasn’t too long and I was in the water! It was wonderful! It really took the edge off the pain. I could just focus within and relax through the contractions. I even slept through some honestly! For the most part, from then on out I was in the water, only getting out to go to the bathroom, to be checked or to have the water reheated. At 8:09 am, my beautiful baby girl, Marcella, was born in the water. I pushed a little sooner than I should have because I could feel she would be here with one more push and got excited! As a result, I don’t think everyone was quite ready so she swam out to us. :) She was crying which I wasn’t expecting because most water babies don’t but Marcella does a lot of things differently so this is no surprise. :) She was placed on me immediately and the whole experience was incredible! I can’t wait to do it again!

If you had a water birth, I would love to hear your experience as well!