Doula = Happiness

Truer words have not been said!! Yeah for happy moms, dads and babies!!_

Episiotomy poem

I cheered out loud at the end of this video! Funny as heck video about episiotomy.  A must watch and enjoy for expectant couples!! "Throw those scissors down to the floor!"

Super Hero Dad

Another printable from Ladybird Lane! Fathers are Super Heros!

For every storm, a rainbow...

Thank you to Ladybird Ln for creating this! Hop over to her site to down load your own copy or one of the many she has created! 

Maddie's modeling debut

Long story short a friend of mine teaches photography classes. She needed a model for a how to take senior pictures class and Maddie got the job! She was a natural. Even with 13 different cameras clicking away she looked perfectly at ease with the situation. A special thank you goes out to Aunt Amberly who so graciously opened her closet of beautiful clothes up to Maddie for her wardrobe.

Mommy crack

I love this cereal. I mean really love. Marshmallow Avalanche by Bear River Valley. Maddie pulled it out of the cabinet last night and I felt like a street junkie who hadn't had a hit in a while. I will make a special trip to Albertsons for the Mom's Best brand. Maddie swears that she can taste the pumpkin that is used for coloring the marshmallows. Yeah, right. Interesting to note though, the original Lucky Charms just don't hold the same power over me.
In an effort to somewhat control my habit I poured myself a generous 1 cup serving. Wonder how many times I will do this today? 

Mom confessions: sherbert out of the carton

All my kids are in bed! 3 are asleep, one almost! That is huge in this family and totally a moment worth celebrating. Yes, sherbet is made of milk and is not a whole food. Not sure why but I don't think we will ever kick this habit.
So my preferred way to to consume sherbert, or any frozen delight for that matter is slightly melted. That's why all of the cartons in this home have an an ever growing trough around the outside and a shrinking  island of lime dream in the middle. I also chose to stand because when my feet start to hurt I know I am done.
I must be getting old or my tummy is starting to talk to my feet. Blast it all, looks I am done for the night. Till tomorrow my lime love...

Enough protein

Thank you Bizarro for an awesome comic!

Never give up on anyone

This includes ourselves.

Pizza night!

Dan has had a hankering for pizza all week. If I knew I was going to die tomorrow, pizza would be my final meal.
Trader Joes pizza dough (yes, I am lazy.)
Sauce and frozen vegi mix. The kids get cheese and pepperoni.

Spinach salad

I tend to make more soup and chilies. Easier maybe? Comfort food? What ever the reason, I need to branch out. Last thing Dan wants after working outside in the heat all day is a nice hot bowl of soup.
Today's dinner: spinach salad with garlic chickpeas, kidney beans, cooked barley, chopped carrots, peas and chopped cashews. I also made a balsamic vinaigrette. Elle ate all of my kidney beans. Her salad had ranch. Guess mine was better!

Lentil cakes

So we all know I can't follow a recipe to save my life. Dinner was supposed to be Lentil burgers but they turned out best thinner like a pancake. I also made the garlic/cilantro pesto and added tomatoes. Very good! Next week I plan on adding more shredded carrots to give them more texture.

Happiness is...

Today was a successful day. The kids were troopers and really did their part in getting some pre-move cleaning jobs started. Maddie worked in the kitchen and Xander scrubbed the walls. Becca cleaned the window sills for crying out loud!! Seriously awesome day!
The day ended perfectly with a sqeaky clean stove top and the rice and beans for tomorrow's dinner soaking.  My mother ego is feeling good today.

Stepping stones

I need to remember this. Too often I let my trials get the best of me.

Daily bread

So this is my routine for making bread for the week. On Sunday I assemble 6 containers with the dry ingredients minus the yeast for my bread.
One is done in the container for my bread maker. That is the only one that I add water with lemon juice and oil still minus the yeast. I let the bread machine mix it and then turn it off to let it "soak" for about 24 hours. In the morning I will add the yeast, mix it again in the machine and let it rise. After it has doubled I divide  and dump it into my two oiled bread pans. After a second rise I toss it in the oven.
If I will be needing another loaf the next day I wash then refill the bread maker container in the same fashion so that I can begin the 24 hour soak. The finished bread does have a ever so slight sour dough taste. Rarely do the loaves not get devoured  in the first day. I have to be careful to save enough bread for Dan's peanut butter and honey sandwiches that he takes to work with him everyday.

Cooking day

I totally messed up dinner tonight. I was supposed to make dough for some pizzas and I totally spaced and I just went into my loaf bread routine. So when I realized my mistake I had to figure out a plan B. Quinoa with sauteed vegis and a basalmic vinagrette. I forgot to add the black beans. The kids are fighting a cold so they did not partake. It bugs when they chicken out and don't even try it. I loved it and I am looking forward to lunch tomorrow!
In my defense I spent a lot of time in the kitchen today. Did some very over due dishes, cleaned out the fridge, made a double batch of double chocolate chip cookies, dough for tomorrows bread, 5 bread starters, fried tortillas chips for my 12 year old, and  started soaking some wheat berries for tomorrow's dinner.

Enchilada soup

I have been craving enchilada sauce and tonight's dinner fit the bill. I ate way too much.
Brown rice
Squash, not sure of the name. It looks like a short, light cucumber.
Black beans
Chopped carrots -my current favorite poor man vegi
8ish chopped garlic cloves- we are having a huge mosquito problem here
Garbonzo beans
1 onion
1 trader Joes hearty vegi broth
I can of enchilada sauce
My taco seasoning mix
Guac garnish
I sauteed the vegis. Becca had 3 bowls. Dan ate his with his TJs baked blue chips. I'd say it was a huge success!

Register for the upcoming Birthing, Bonding

and Breastfeeding Conference <--link

Annual Birthing, Bonding and Breastfeeding Conference May 19, 2012

Plan a trip to Palm Springs in May. The line up for this year's conference is sure to be a crowd pleaser in the birthing community. Dr. Bob Sears, pediatrician; Jane Honikman, founder of Postpartum Support International; and Christy Jo Hendricks, IBCLC--have been announced as this year's speakers. In addition to the lectures, an expert panel has been assembled to field audience questions. Among the panel are pediatrician; Dr. Bodon, obstetrician; Kari Spoelstra, RN, IBCLC and program coordinator for a successful postpartum home visitation program; and Joanna Whitlow, IBCLC and Doula.

Registration is now available at About Families or stop by the About Families, Inc. booth #111 at this year's CWA Conference the first week of May.

• Catered Lunch
• L-Cerps
• Vendors
• Expert panel
• Destination Location
• FREE PARKING

This conference is a great value and networking opportunity.

$65 for general audience/ $90 for attendees requesting CEU's

Healthy nails and skin: Vitamin E Benefits

My oldest girls love to paint their nails.  Sometimes twice in one day!  Sadly Maddie's nails are showing some wear and tear.  I remember when I was young my mother telling me to squeeze Vitamin E on my nails so off to google we went to find more info.  We found a cute site named Beautiful Healthy Finger Nails, Love Your Nails. Check out the site for reasons why Vitamin E can be can be so helpful (hint: who wants youthful skin?)!!  I love simple ways to take care of myself!




I liked this list of natural sources Over at The Daily Green. On this site we not only learn about the specific nutrients but there are recipes to boot!!
Foods with vitamin E
Turnips greens, nuts, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, almonds, olives, blueberries, spinach, olive oil, asparagus, avocado, eggs, wheat germ and wholegrain foods.

After coating her nails in vitamin E Maddie exclaimed, "I should do this everyday!!"

Breastfeeding in America

Learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding.  The creator of this info graphic is too fun for words. I love reading her honest, sometimes brash, blog posts on lucieslist.com . Great job Meg!

Three Food Changes for a Healthier Child

Three Food Changes for a Healthier Child <<--Link

Great article about simple, realistic changes in our diet that can have a huge impact on our families. Gives the science of why avoiding food dyes, high fructose corn syrup and food preservatives BHA, BHT and TBHQ make a difference. “…ironic how everyone recognizes that the chemicals in drugs impact our bodies but often believe that those same kinds of chemicals in food are harmless…”http://www.mamasagainstdrama.com/2012/04/three-food-changes-for-a-healthier-child/#more-2139

Top 10 Foods Highest in Iron

Taking our iron pills during pregnancy is the absolute pits. If we are already fighting morning sickness this lovely little black pill can send us right back into the bathroom So what is the big deal with iron?
"Iron is an essential mineral used to transport oxygen to all parts of the body. A slight deficiency in iron causes anemia (fatigue/weakness)"
"While iron is better absorbed from heme (meat) sources, non-heme (plant) iron is better regulated causing less damage to the body. The current recommended daily allowance for iron is 18 milligrams (mg)."
On a personal level, my family's dietary goal is to consume a produce based, whole food diet. When there isn't time to explain our eating habits we usually just say that we are mostly vegan. Finding all of the different resources for iron has been important for us as we have made this change. As a mother of four awesome kids I need all the energy I can get!!

Follow this link to the --->>Top 10 Foods Highest in Iron

A big thank you to
 HealthAliciousNess .com
Nutrition Simplified

C-section birth of Birth of Sebastian

This is a beautiful video of a c-section.  the skin to skin and breastfeeding time that this mother got is wonderful!
It breaks my heart that mothers who deliver via c-section in our local hospitals are not given the same rights as this lucky family. Standard protocol is that the mom is shown the baby, occasionally allowed to give the baby a kiss and then is quickly placed under the warmer to be looked over.  Then the baby is taken to the nursery to be given a bath and newborn procedures. Mom and baby are not reunited for over 2 hours. The father or whoever is wearing the other wrist band can accompany the baby to the nursery but the mother is then left completely by herself. I stood out of the OR waiting to be reunited with one of my clients and it just just about killed me. My heart broke for her because she was all alone and I knew she needed me. Instead of letting me be with her they gave her more drugs to knock her out completely. (sorry for the venting- I am still working though my frustrations)
I have now been with two friends that had labors end in a surprise c-section. Although unusual, it does happen. Confirm with your doctor, in writing, that they support you and your family's wishes to be together no matter how things go..
Thank you to
Birth of Sebastian ♥ from Belinda Kelly-Mandalis on Vimeo.

Make Room for Baby

Museum of Science and Industry | Exhibits | YOU! The Experience | The Exhibit | Your Beginning | Make Room for Baby | Make Room for Baby

Amazing interactive tool that shows how our bodies adapt to the a growing baby. The picture and the above link will take you to Museum Of Science and Industry of Chicago website. I love how the baby comes out at the end, like it was no trouble at all.
As my girls and I have watched this over and over again I can't help but be amazed. The breasts grow larger, the bladder gets squished, and the stomach is pushed high into our rib cage. I love how at the end the tummy stays flubbery.
Xander, my 8 year old son, loved making the animated baby "dance" as he zipped back in forth between 29 weeks and birth. As long as he is learning... right?

Hyperbole and a Half: This is Why I'll Never be an Adult

Hyperbole and a Half: This is Why I'll Never be an Adult
This a hilarious blog is written by a talented artist named Allie. For this specific post, Why I'll Never be an Adult, I think that she was spying on me! She perfectly describes my life.  Thank you!!

Kangaroo Care

Kangaroo care is skin-to-skin contact between mothers or fathers and their infants.  The University of Michigan NICU put together this informative article about Kangaroo Care of infants.  http://www.med.umich.edu/nicu/pdf/C.3KangarooCare.pdf
The paper is centered on the medical research surrounding this life saving parenting technique.


Some interesting facts about Kangaroo Care:

• -An unexpected result of the study was that physicians commented that BKC seemed to distract mothers from discomfort during perineal repair, although the repairs preceded actual breastfeeding. Decreased maternal discomfort is possible because KC has been shown to comfort mothers
• -The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendation is  "healthy infants should be placed and remain in direct skin-to-skin contact with their mothers immediately after delivery until the first feeding is accomplished"
• Researchers found that when moms held their baby, the baby had lower a lower score on the Premature Infant Pain Profile 90 seconds after a heel stick. When babies were left in their incubators for their heel stick, they experienced pain for much longer, and had a more difficult time recovering.

And sooo much more!!

Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait

The March of Dimes has begun a new campaign to encourage mothers to wait for birth to start on it's own. In their own words:
-"The Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait™ education campaign was developed in response to the growing number of inductions and c-sections prior to 39 weeks for non-medical reasons. Campaign messaging is not intended for mothers who have their babies early for medical reasons or who go into early labor on their own"

The article that was released in August of 2011 shares information on why this campaign is so important. Here is a little snippet:

Why scheduling an early birth can be a problem Experts are learning that scheduling an early birth for non-medical reasons can cause problems for mom and baby. For example:

• Your due date may not be exactly right. Sometimes it's hard to know just when you got pregnant. Even with an ultrasound, your due date can be off by as much as 2 weeks. If you schedule to induce labor or schedule a cesarean birth (also called a c-section) and your date is off by a week or two, your baby may be born too early.
• Inducing labor may not work. If your labor is induced, the medicine your doctor or certified nurse-midwife gives you may not start your labor. When this happens, you may need to have a c-section.
• A c-section can cause problems for your baby. Babies born by c-section may have more breathing and other medical problems than babies born by vaginal birth. (Most babies are born by vaginal birth. The mother's uterus contracts to help push the baby out through the vagina, also called the birth canal.)
• C-sections can cause problems in future pregnancies. Once you have a c-section, you may be more likely in future pregnancies to have a c-section. The more c-sections you have, the more problems you and your baby may have, including problems with the placenta.
• A c-section is major surgery for mom. It takes longer for you to recover from a c-section than from a vaginal birth. You can expect to spend 2 to 4 days in the hospital after a c-section. Then you'll need 4 to 6 weeks after you go home to fully recover. You also could have complications from the surgery, like infections and bleeding. So it's important to stay in touch with your health care provider even after you go home.

Thank you March of Dimes for all that you do!!

Online Expectant Parent Education

I just found a site with loads of great info! Sutter Davis Hospital in Northern California has got it going on! Check out all of the Special fact sheets for new (every) mothers that this great hospital has to offer! I LOVE all of these 2 page fact sheets because they are based on scientific research. If I had to choose, my favorite topics in the prenatal section are:

Topic #2 Only Breast milk for the First Six Months Shares the scientific reasons of why this is important.
Topic #4: Possible Effects of Medications and Anesthesia
Topic #5: Early Skin to Skin Contact

Be sure to surf around this site if enjoy reading information published by this amazing hospital.
Expectant parent Eduction provided by Davis Hospital in Northern California
--links are bold and underlined

Cervical Effacement and Dilatation during labor

Prego yoga study

Medical study:  Efficacy of yoga in pregnant women with abnormal Doppler study of umbilical and uterine arteries. <-- link
That is a mouthful! Plain English: This is a study about the effects of yoga preformed by the expecting mother on her soon to be newborn.

"In babies the birth-weight is significantly higher (P < 0.018) in the Yoga group (2.78 +/- 0.52 kg), compared to the control group (2.55 +/- 0.52 kg). Occurrence of complications of pregnancy (pregnancy-induced hypertension, intrauterine growth retardation, pre-term delivery) shows lower trends in yoga group"
Another interesting fact about this study is that the control, the non-yoga group, walked twice a day for a half hour.

(I think I would be more inclined to do yoga, or any exercise for that matter, if I had a cute outfit to do it in! I am sure there has to be a medical study to support this!)