Victory! This post is a little delayed because the week has been quite chaotic, I did feel the need to share, there ARE sane pediatricians in Connecticut! I don't know if there are others, but there's at least one!
Our third in-person interview was a pleasant surprise. Ironically, this practice is closest to our home, I should have started with a map instead of searching online! We met with Dr. F in one of her exam rooms which was covered in hand-drawn pictures from her patients expressing their fondness and sometimes love for their doctor- I hadn't seen this at any other offices, and I certainly never would have drawn my pediatricians a picture. Dr. F met with us right on time, gave us her spiel in which we learned she has decades of experience, is flexible and laid back, and just gave us the warm fuzzies I thought we'd never find.
Flexibility in the AAP vaccine schedule was a must for us, Dr. F is completely accepting of this and fits our ideal doctor profile, willing to discuss which ones she feels are a priority for BG McD and which ones we can delay without concern.
While I'm entirely too stubborn and strong-willed (and educated) to change my sleep plans for a doctor, I know several family and friends who have been negatively judged by their pediatricians for cosleeping in any form, whether it be bed-sharing or simply room sharing. Dr. F said she doesn't endorse this practice in her waiting room to all families, if you're not obese (a known risk factor for rolling onto your child) and using recreational drugs/alcohol at night (another known risk factor), there are many benefits. I don't need a doctor who has had no training in infant sleeping arrangements (not part of medical school training if you think about it), to judge me for my educated decision, and it's nice that we know that conversation won't come up.
Dr. F has positive views on breastfeeding, didn't have an office full of formula samples or flyers endorsing Enfamil or Gerber or whoever makes formula- I don't really know-I don't want any part of it. I love that. She sees the value in La Leche League and wants her patients' mothers to be comfortable in their decision... while I'd love to go on an anti-formula tirade, being accepting of what a mom needs to do is probably the best answer, and I pray we don't need to explore that avenue once BG arrives.
Oddly, despite the research indicating physiological benefits of babywearing, some doctors I have spoken with are against baby wearing and I believe while they don't all say it outright, some align with the "cry it out" method of baby training which Attachment Parenting strongly cautions against... I think the anti-babywearing doctors are also baby trainers. Dr F wore her children for periods of time and even shared with us that her fourth child wasn't happy unless he was worn... Not only does she like babywearing, but she's DONE it! Score!
Our other concern was judgement or even refusal to see us because of where we are birthing. Dr. F expressed a fondness for midwifery care and has no problem seeing the baby within 48hrs of birth (as she'll be home not in a hospital where a pediatrician will do rounds). Other bonuses... she regularly has evening hours one weeknight per week and works Saturday mornings. The practice she works in has half a dozen doctors who all keep their own caseloads but provide coverage on nights and non-scheduled weekend hours. I like the accessibility and the office staff were all very friendly... *ahhhh* sigh of relief. I am so very glad we did our homework and that we didn't just settle. Dr. F was worth the search and I know she'll take exceptional care of BG McD... this is one of the last big things on the To Do list, now we have to pack that birth center bag so it's ready to go. Hopefully later rather than sooner, but that's for the next blog post.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Doctor Debacles
Who knew finding a pediatrician would be so complicated... gosh! You're a little crunchy and suddenly nothing is simple! We left my OB/GYN who is literally 4 miles away and delivers at the hospital less than 2 miles from our home to drive an hour (usually 90 mins with traffic) each way to see midwives in Danbury... now as we seek out a like-minded pediatrician, our wheels are spinning again.
In my mind, my personal ad for a pediatrician went something like this,
Me: How does your practice support breastfeeding?
LC: We encourage moms to breastfeed through at least four months.
Me: The AAP recommends 12 months or more and the WHO and UNICEF recommend up to 2 years.
LC: {blank stare}
Me: I see your welcome booklet lists the AAP recommended vaccine schedule. We plan to spread out our child's vaccines, are all your practitioners flexible with this?
LC: That's not recommended at all, it actually puts your child at higher risk for reactions because they get more vaccine visits and have more risk of fever, and it's more painful.
Me: [thinking: WTF!?!] ... Wouldn't it be easier to identify a reaction if only one or two were given at a visit rather than 4-6?
LC: No.
Me: So you don't want me to introduce more than one food at a time to a baby, because THAT could cause a severe allergic reaction, but you'd like to inject her with chemicals mixed together combined with other chemicals mixed together?
LC: {blank stare}
At this point, John and I were ready to a) toss this woman off the side of a building and b) leave. We politely walked the circle with the other couples touring the office, and hurried out.
I started to call other practices in the area... some weren't accepting newborns, one wouldn't see a baby born at a birth center, another wouldn't take patients not born at the hospital right around the corner from us, and some just had rude office staff or complicated phone systems where it was an epic event to get a live person on the phone. Ugh!
Yesterday we had our second meeting. This practice was recommended by a few of John's coworkers, the lead pediatrician has been voted by other practitioners in Connecticut Magazine as a Top Doc, they don't have really late hours but see ill children on the weekends, and one of their MD's is a lactation consultant.
The office was simple, the staff was friendly, I was feeling hopeful. The doctor saw us on time and welcomed us to his practice, we sat in an exam room with plenty of seating for the family which I liked- the first visit we noticed that there was only one chair in each room, we plan to attend our baby's visits together... so one of us will always stand? I definitely liked the looks of this office better. The first question the doctor asked us was, "what hospital do you plan to deliver at?" *the fun begins*
Me: Actually, we're not. We're having our baby at the Connecticut Childbirth Center, our midwives are just amazing.
Dr: Oh, my niece delivered all three of her children there, she had a great experience. [Catharine sighs with relief] ... personally I wouldn't deliver there, it's quite dangerous.
Hormonal educated me: ACTUALLY, they've been in practice over 11 years and have never lost a mom or a baby at the hospital or in the birth center.
Dr: Those statistics are skewed, they risk out tons of people
Me: Their statistics include women who have to be cared for with or exclusively by their OB's.
Dr: Well it's still not safe. To each their own (he had to get that in there, right?)
So now I'm thinking, I COULD remind this arrogant man without a uterus that all hospitals in Connecticut have a c-section rate of 30% or higher (some 40%), or that NONE of the hospitals in Connecticut meet the WHO standards for safe quality maternity care... but I won't argue with him, let's find out about breastfeeding and vaccines... see where we get.
This doctor has a very laid back "it's your kid, it's up to you," attitude, he openly shared with us that his wife breastfeed all their children, all the female docs and almost all the nurses in the practice breastfed successfully, and one of their MD's is a lactation consultant herself... He kindly told us he doesn't think parents who formula feed are bad or they are damaging their children but also said there are clear advantages to breastfeeding- nice answer, I can live with that.
As for vaccines he said we can spread them out and there are certain ones he could care less if the baby receives if we live in a safe environment, but certain ones he encourages parents to consider carefully-- this is the kind of relationship I want- I don't know it all, but I know a fair amount about what vaccines contain and what I do and do not want to risk.
When I mentioned cosleeping the doctor said that it can be very dangerous to put a newborn in a bed, I reiterated that we have a co-sleeper, a separate contained area for the baby attached to our bed- I can't roll into this little rectangle that slides next to the bed like a nightstand, and I have never rolled onto my nightstand in my sleep so I think we're ok. :-P He said "oh, well those are safer. Really, it's up to you."
Last night as we were reflecting on the visit I felt all these strong opinions and considerations coming up in our conversation and in processing that reflection thought... "we're parents, these opinions are our parenting instincts... we're making those important parent-decisions. What an empowering feeling :-) Our conclusion was that we like that we have flexibility with these docs, I personally don't see myself seeing that specific doctor but if his practice likes breastfeeding and will let me do my thing with vaccines, I can be okay with that.
I think we're going to have to settle for Crunchy-Tolerant in this area... I'm thankful that John and I are both educated and stubborn and not being herded along into the mainstream of blind acceptance. Tonight we're meeting one more group practice that some of my coworkers have recommended. I hope we get some good answers and feel positive about seeing one of these two practices.
In my mind, my personal ad for a pediatrician went something like this,
Young, educated couple seeks friendly, experienced group of pediatricians offering flexible office hours, breastfeeding support, and flexibility in vaccine scheduling. Cosleeping judgers need not apply.Simple enough, right? Ha! Our first pediatrician meeting was last month. This group practice recommended by an acquaintance with fantastic office hours and with 6 docs and 1 APRN in the practice I was optimistic. They have a lactation consultant, we'll meet with her, perfect! When I called we were offered several dates for twice-monthly Expectant Parent meetings... how friendly of them! I selected the one with the LC and eagerly drafted up my list of interview questions. Four other couples were at our meeting and here's the abridged version of how it went, please keep in mind this woman never asked me a) what motivated such specific questions and b) what we do for a living, our education or background etc...
Me: How does your practice support breastfeeding?
LC: We encourage moms to breastfeed through at least four months.
Me: The AAP recommends 12 months or more and the WHO and UNICEF recommend up to 2 years.
LC: {blank stare}
Me: I see your welcome booklet lists the AAP recommended vaccine schedule. We plan to spread out our child's vaccines, are all your practitioners flexible with this?
LC: That's not recommended at all, it actually puts your child at higher risk for reactions because they get more vaccine visits and have more risk of fever, and it's more painful.
Me: [thinking: WTF!?!] ... Wouldn't it be easier to identify a reaction if only one or two were given at a visit rather than 4-6?
LC: No.
Me: So you don't want me to introduce more than one food at a time to a baby, because THAT could cause a severe allergic reaction, but you'd like to inject her with chemicals mixed together combined with other chemicals mixed together?
LC: {blank stare}
At this point, John and I were ready to a) toss this woman off the side of a building and b) leave. We politely walked the circle with the other couples touring the office, and hurried out.
I started to call other practices in the area... some weren't accepting newborns, one wouldn't see a baby born at a birth center, another wouldn't take patients not born at the hospital right around the corner from us, and some just had rude office staff or complicated phone systems where it was an epic event to get a live person on the phone. Ugh!
Yesterday we had our second meeting. This practice was recommended by a few of John's coworkers, the lead pediatrician has been voted by other practitioners in Connecticut Magazine as a Top Doc, they don't have really late hours but see ill children on the weekends, and one of their MD's is a lactation consultant.
The office was simple, the staff was friendly, I was feeling hopeful. The doctor saw us on time and welcomed us to his practice, we sat in an exam room with plenty of seating for the family which I liked- the first visit we noticed that there was only one chair in each room, we plan to attend our baby's visits together... so one of us will always stand? I definitely liked the looks of this office better. The first question the doctor asked us was, "what hospital do you plan to deliver at?" *the fun begins*
Me: Actually, we're not. We're having our baby at the Connecticut Childbirth Center, our midwives are just amazing.
Dr: Oh, my niece delivered all three of her children there, she had a great experience. [Catharine sighs with relief] ... personally I wouldn't deliver there, it's quite dangerous.
Hormonal educated me: ACTUALLY, they've been in practice over 11 years and have never lost a mom or a baby at the hospital or in the birth center.
Dr: Those statistics are skewed, they risk out tons of people
Me: Their statistics include women who have to be cared for with or exclusively by their OB's.
Dr: Well it's still not safe. To each their own (he had to get that in there, right?)
So now I'm thinking, I COULD remind this arrogant man without a uterus that all hospitals in Connecticut have a c-section rate of 30% or higher (some 40%), or that NONE of the hospitals in Connecticut meet the WHO standards for safe quality maternity care... but I won't argue with him, let's find out about breastfeeding and vaccines... see where we get.
This doctor has a very laid back "it's your kid, it's up to you," attitude, he openly shared with us that his wife breastfeed all their children, all the female docs and almost all the nurses in the practice breastfed successfully, and one of their MD's is a lactation consultant herself... He kindly told us he doesn't think parents who formula feed are bad or they are damaging their children but also said there are clear advantages to breastfeeding- nice answer, I can live with that.
As for vaccines he said we can spread them out and there are certain ones he could care less if the baby receives if we live in a safe environment, but certain ones he encourages parents to consider carefully-- this is the kind of relationship I want- I don't know it all, but I know a fair amount about what vaccines contain and what I do and do not want to risk.
When I mentioned cosleeping the doctor said that it can be very dangerous to put a newborn in a bed, I reiterated that we have a co-sleeper, a separate contained area for the baby attached to our bed- I can't roll into this little rectangle that slides next to the bed like a nightstand, and I have never rolled onto my nightstand in my sleep so I think we're ok. :-P He said "oh, well those are safer. Really, it's up to you."
Last night as we were reflecting on the visit I felt all these strong opinions and considerations coming up in our conversation and in processing that reflection thought... "we're parents, these opinions are our parenting instincts... we're making those important parent-decisions. What an empowering feeling :-) Our conclusion was that we like that we have flexibility with these docs, I personally don't see myself seeing that specific doctor but if his practice likes breastfeeding and will let me do my thing with vaccines, I can be okay with that.
I think we're going to have to settle for Crunchy-Tolerant in this area... I'm thankful that John and I are both educated and stubborn and not being herded along into the mainstream of blind acceptance. Tonight we're meeting one more group practice that some of my coworkers have recommended. I hope we get some good answers and feel positive about seeing one of these two practices.
Friday, May 13, 2011
The Power of the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
I remember falling in love with the phenomenon of social behavior... my very first college class, Sociology 101 at Towson. It was a very freshman class, 8am M/W/F and all. Our professor was an awkward sociologist who found "normal " people fascinating and while his people skills were lacking, he knew his stuff. Fast forward a couple of weeks and we were introduced to... the self-fulfilling prophecy! I was hooked. I wanted to study people and their societies and help those people and I didn't know how or what but I would do it. I thought this concept was fascinating, if you surround yourself with thoughts and beliefs enough... they can lead to such thoughts and beliefs becoming reality- whether positive or negative... amazing! Later on in my college studies the pop culture book, The Secret came out, Oprah loved it so the world loved it, and I recall finally giving in and reading it in grad school with great disappointment... this is it? The big SECRET is self-fulfilling prophecy? I learned about this years ago! Ugh! and I put the book aside, hasn't been opened since. I decided I would graduate with a double major in 4 years despite transferring 4 times in college- made it happen, thanks self-fulfilling prophecy. I decided I would get into a wonderful grad school because it sounded more appealing than working at the residential programs where I interned, and I made it happen. 2 weeks after I was accepted into graduate school, I met the man of my dreams, who lived and worked 700 miles away from said graduate school- I said, "We're going to get married, but after I finish my Master's. I'll be back in 2 years, ok?" ... and we did. I had discovered The Secret in my first college class. Not to say I didn't ever have negative SFP's... I was unsure I wanted to go to school 300 miles away when I was a freshman, I never gave Towson an true chance my first semester and transferred to CCSU my second semester... I didn't fully appreciate Baltimore and Towson until I had left. I recall other times in my life when my confidence and desires weren't aligned and I fulfilled my lower-than-ideal expectations, but let's focus on those positive uses of SFP.
So my blog-reading friends, why discuss it now? Birth of course! As one of the last of my friends and acquaintances to get pregnant, I have seen many pregnancies and births progress over the past several years. As I learned more about birth I began to listen to birth experiences with a different understanding. People often assume that I don't really know what I'm talking about when I discuss birth because they know I haven't birthed yet. In the field of counseling, therapists are very successful in helping people work through issues they themselves have never experienced, and I liken this knowledge I've acquired to that analogy. I know that I know more about pregnancy, birth, and maternity care than many of my friends, I have probably read 20+ books on the topic, good books, not rants from angry moms or doctors... research-based literature. My understanding of my friends' births have changed as I have developed a strong knowledge of the state of prenatal and maternity care in and out of the US. It is because I am a counselor (and not just a fiery redhead) that I withhold [most of] my opinions when women share why they had to have this invasive intervention or that. I'm not going to sit here and tell a person she didn't really need that or it wasn't the doctor that saved the day, it was their own body. Throughout this pregnancy I have had many little aha moments in which I felt blessed that we are seeing a midwife rather than a doctor, I have heard stories of pregnant friends seeing an OB/GYN or pressured into procedures I know they could have avoided, and I quietly wonder, was it truly unplanned, or was it an SFP? What were these people expecting? Was this what was bound to happen because quietly that's what the woman or doctor expected? Are women uneducated in general about birth and the state of modern maternity care, or are they hoping to let the doc be in charge so they don't have to make these decisions? Or do they not know any differently?
As I journey through this pregnancy and now in my third trimester approaching my labor and baby's birth, I am thinking about what my birth SFP will be. Early on I was hesitant to envision this in great detail because I don't want to become rigid in my plans or set myself up for disappointment or upset. How do you thoroughly plan a self-fulfilling prophecy and corresponding birth plan... to surrender to the birth process? Sounds a bit like an oxymoron, but that's what I am about to do in the coming weeks. Create a detailed plan of how I'll surrender. Tirelessly educating myself about pregnancy, prenatal care, labor, and birth has given me powerful knowledge that's helping with the "surrender" part, so I finally feel that I'm at a place where I can plan some of the details. We have our fourth hypnobirth class this coming week and the following week, we'll develop our birth plan with our doula, which I plan to share on here because there just aren't enough birth plans online! I think I'm going to ramble about my self-fulfilling prophecy and then I'll give a few of my inspirations :-)
We are going to go into labor naturally, I am going to be so ready for this beautiful birth that I might not notice early on, but I'll get the idea eventually, my body and my baby will tell me. Baby girl is already opinionated so she'll let me know. Wherever I am whenever this happens (somewhere between 37 and 42 weeks, my "expected due month") I will retreat to our room in our wonderful peaceful home that we have made ours the past three years-anticipating sharing it with little ones to come. I'll take advantage of our room-darkening shades if it's daytime, put on my hypnobirthing relaxation tracks on my iPod and take a NAP! When I wake up, I'll take a shower, perhaps go for a walk in the neighborhood, and then put together some food to bring to the birth center in case we're there a while. I'm thinking marathon foods, birth is a physical event, like a 5k! I need energy foods. I'm thinking pasta (which I love with just margarine, butter, or olive oil), Powerade, and some popsicles which will obviously need a cooler but won't last long knowing my love for frozen delights. We'll have the doula come over when I've completed these little tasks... she'll help keep John calm, give him ideas to help me get and stay comfortable, and suggest position changes as baby and I move along in labor. We'll have a birth ball here and I'll likely use that and the couch or bed to stay comfortable.
My doula will know when we need to call the midwives and tell them we're on our way to the birth center... she'll help us time our trip so we are about halfway into our labor. I'll refrain from using centimeter references as we'll be keeping exams to a minimum (or avoiding them altogether)...regular checking in does me no good- when there's a head coming out of between my legs- it's time to have a baby- it's also invasive and introduces unnecessary bacteria into the birth canal, but more about that later. John will help me relax with the hypnobirthing scripts we have learned in classes and he'll pick up on any tension or anxiety he observes coming up... he has been my rock this entire journey and will be the person who keeps me calm and centered on our baby's birthing day. I know he'll be an amazing birth companion.
When we get to the birth center I will be able to move, eat, and relax however I want and need to. I'll listen to the baby and my body and just stay comfortable, moving where they need me to be. The birth center has birthing balls, a queen-size bed, a 2-person shower, a jacuzzi tub and a birthing rocking chair (the middle slides out so you can deliver in this helpful seated/vertical position with your hips and bum supported)... I have so many options as to where I can be to relax! I envision rocking in the rocking chair or on the birth ball for a while, and then getting into the tub with John [who will be in swim trunks!] behind me-leaning up against "my rock" for support. From this position he'll be able to easily sense or feel any tension I may develop and help me relax through it. I would love to birth our baby in the water, and once the baby's head is out, the midwives welcome fathers to help guide the baby out and up to mom's chest... I would love for our birth to go this way... for John to help bring our baby up for her first breath and for the three of us to all be physically connected and holding one another to welcome baby girl into the world. What a peaceful way for her to start her life out of the womb! If we birth in the tub, the midwife and nurse will help me to the bed to deliver the placenta and snuggle up to baby. We will hold off on any non-urgent assessments such as weight/length etc and let the baby do the "breast crawl," to initiate breastfeeding. For those of you who haven't seen this amazing phenomena, if left to its own, a newborn placed on mother's belly will crawl on their own up the mom's body, find the breast, and latch by themselves. The baby uses instincts and is guided by the smell of the vernix (the baby's waxy coating) which matches the smell of hormones excreted by the breast and through these carnal instincts, the baby knows how to get to the breast to feed. AMAZING! Brilliant! After these first few hours, the baby loses the ability to crawl until months later when their spine is morphing from it's newborn c-shape to a more normal curve.
It's worth mentioning- when the baby is allowed to go through this process uninterrupted, mom and baby often have a better breastfeeding connection from the get-go, it's a developmental process of skin-to-skin contact and the beginning of "baby-led" breastfeeding, which I'll be sure to blog about later on. Routine medical assessments/procedures can wait... the apgar score can be obtained without interrupting this process and unless the baby has a (uncommon) complication or concern, there is no need to rush what translates to paperwork.
John and I will lay down and relax in bed with the baby while she ventures to her first feeding... we will be patient in this precious first hour or so- you can never get it back, it only happens immediately after birth and will truly be a gift to witness. In this same bed where baby gets to have her first feeding, we as a family of three will get to relax for a few hours after the birth. Once we've rested and I have showered and gotten dressed, we will tuck our little peanut into her car seat and come home as three instead of two... we get to sleep in our own room that night, eat home-cooked food, and no one will separate us or interrupt our rest to take vitals etc. In the 24-36hours following our trip home, one of our midwives will make a home visit to check on both of us again, and we'll go to their office a week later for our routine follow-up.
So... this is my self-fulfilling prophecy I'll make happen by continuing to envision the next 9-14 weeks... this is how our beautiful birth will go. I'll continue to listen to my relaxation exercises at night, we'll continue to practice relaxation breathing in hypnobirth, I"ll continue to nourish both myself and baby, I'll continue to exercise and make sure my body is ready to help my baby out, we'll avoid unnecessary interventions (which isn't a concern with the midwife, but choosing a midwife is what I've done to take care of this task!), and John... he'll keep reading his hypnobirthing book, reading bedtime stories to the baby (who already can't wait to meet him), and being the amazing husband he is... that's all I need from him.. He's awesome.
We are going to go into labor naturally, I am going to be so ready for this beautiful birth that I might not notice early on, but I'll get the idea eventually, my body and my baby will tell me. Baby girl is already opinionated so she'll let me know. Wherever I am whenever this happens (somewhere between 37 and 42 weeks, my "expected due month") I will retreat to our room in our wonderful peaceful home that we have made ours the past three years-anticipating sharing it with little ones to come. I'll take advantage of our room-darkening shades if it's daytime, put on my hypnobirthing relaxation tracks on my iPod and take a NAP! When I wake up, I'll take a shower, perhaps go for a walk in the neighborhood, and then put together some food to bring to the birth center in case we're there a while. I'm thinking marathon foods, birth is a physical event, like a 5k! I need energy foods. I'm thinking pasta (which I love with just margarine, butter, or olive oil), Powerade, and some popsicles which will obviously need a cooler but won't last long knowing my love for frozen delights. We'll have the doula come over when I've completed these little tasks... she'll help keep John calm, give him ideas to help me get and stay comfortable, and suggest position changes as baby and I move along in labor. We'll have a birth ball here and I'll likely use that and the couch or bed to stay comfortable.
My doula will know when we need to call the midwives and tell them we're on our way to the birth center... she'll help us time our trip so we are about halfway into our labor. I'll refrain from using centimeter references as we'll be keeping exams to a minimum (or avoiding them altogether)...regular checking in does me no good- when there's a head coming out of between my legs- it's time to have a baby- it's also invasive and introduces unnecessary bacteria into the birth canal, but more about that later. John will help me relax with the hypnobirthing scripts we have learned in classes and he'll pick up on any tension or anxiety he observes coming up... he has been my rock this entire journey and will be the person who keeps me calm and centered on our baby's birthing day. I know he'll be an amazing birth companion.
When we get to the birth center I will be able to move, eat, and relax however I want and need to. I'll listen to the baby and my body and just stay comfortable, moving where they need me to be. The birth center has birthing balls, a queen-size bed, a 2-person shower, a jacuzzi tub and a birthing rocking chair (the middle slides out so you can deliver in this helpful seated/vertical position with your hips and bum supported)... I have so many options as to where I can be to relax! I envision rocking in the rocking chair or on the birth ball for a while, and then getting into the tub with John [who will be in swim trunks!] behind me-leaning up against "my rock" for support. From this position he'll be able to easily sense or feel any tension I may develop and help me relax through it. I would love to birth our baby in the water, and once the baby's head is out, the midwives welcome fathers to help guide the baby out and up to mom's chest... I would love for our birth to go this way... for John to help bring our baby up for her first breath and for the three of us to all be physically connected and holding one another to welcome baby girl into the world. What a peaceful way for her to start her life out of the womb! If we birth in the tub, the midwife and nurse will help me to the bed to deliver the placenta and snuggle up to baby. We will hold off on any non-urgent assessments such as weight/length etc and let the baby do the "breast crawl," to initiate breastfeeding. For those of you who haven't seen this amazing phenomena, if left to its own, a newborn placed on mother's belly will crawl on their own up the mom's body, find the breast, and latch by themselves. The baby uses instincts and is guided by the smell of the vernix (the baby's waxy coating) which matches the smell of hormones excreted by the breast and through these carnal instincts, the baby knows how to get to the breast to feed. AMAZING! Brilliant! After these first few hours, the baby loses the ability to crawl until months later when their spine is morphing from it's newborn c-shape to a more normal curve.
It's worth mentioning- when the baby is allowed to go through this process uninterrupted, mom and baby often have a better breastfeeding connection from the get-go, it's a developmental process of skin-to-skin contact and the beginning of "baby-led" breastfeeding, which I'll be sure to blog about later on. Routine medical assessments/procedures can wait... the apgar score can be obtained without interrupting this process and unless the baby has a (uncommon) complication or concern, there is no need to rush what translates to paperwork.
John and I will lay down and relax in bed with the baby while she ventures to her first feeding... we will be patient in this precious first hour or so- you can never get it back, it only happens immediately after birth and will truly be a gift to witness. In this same bed where baby gets to have her first feeding, we as a family of three will get to relax for a few hours after the birth. Once we've rested and I have showered and gotten dressed, we will tuck our little peanut into her car seat and come home as three instead of two... we get to sleep in our own room that night, eat home-cooked food, and no one will separate us or interrupt our rest to take vitals etc. In the 24-36hours following our trip home, one of our midwives will make a home visit to check on both of us again, and we'll go to their office a week later for our routine follow-up.
So... this is my self-fulfilling prophecy I'll make happen by continuing to envision the next 9-14 weeks... this is how our beautiful birth will go. I'll continue to listen to my relaxation exercises at night, we'll continue to practice relaxation breathing in hypnobirth, I"ll continue to nourish both myself and baby, I'll continue to exercise and make sure my body is ready to help my baby out, we'll avoid unnecessary interventions (which isn't a concern with the midwife, but choosing a midwife is what I've done to take care of this task!), and John... he'll keep reading his hypnobirthing book, reading bedtime stories to the baby (who already can't wait to meet him), and being the amazing husband he is... that's all I need from him.. He's awesome.
My Inspirations
*Women are meant to birth! Our bodies know what to do! That's how we got this far in civilization!
*My baby knows when it's time to come- when the baby is fully developed he/she releases a hormone that starts contractions. I like this affirmation:
Everything exists in a divine order, and my baby will be born right on schedule, according to her time.
*By eliminating fear, tension is reduced and pain is avoided... google "Grantly Dick Read" if you want to learn more, he wrote "Childbirth Without Fear" and discussed the physiology behind this. A great example my hypnobirth instructor gave was the act of flexing your bicep- which you don't often tense... flex your bicep, hold it there 20-30 seconds. It doesn't hurt, does it? The uterus is a muscle- granted these contractions are involuntary, but they're simply muscle contractions. When you're not full of tension and panic, they don't have to hurt. If you tense a straight arm and try to flex a bicep, it's a bit more difficult- don't fight it and it's easy and mindless... this can be applied to the uterus, too. Childbirth doesn't have to be miserable and painful! The highlight of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (for me) was when she said this about contractions:
The power and intensity of your contractions cannot be stronger than you, because it is you.
Without chemicals (Pitocin, Cervidil, Prepidil, etc), your body won't make a contraction stronger than you can handle or strong enough to stress the baby out- isn't that nice of your body?
*Midwives have a better track record than ob/gyn's internationally.. I feel safe in the care of a midwife and know that their watchful eye will be much more helpful than electronic monitoring from a distance as occurs in many hospitals. If I don't have to be guarded, I can fully surrender to the process... simple enough.
*I will use the birth tub to relax because when submerged in water, gravity is on your side and the warm water softens your muscles and tissues reducing the risk of tearing while easing tension... how ideal for baby! In case anyone is wondering... babies don't drown when they are born underwater because they receive their oxygen from the placenta until it stops pulsating... we'll have plenty of time to pull her up to my chest :-)
I've always been a fan of quotes so here are just a few other quotes about birth that I love :-)
Just as a woman’s heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth.
~ Virginia Di Orio300,000 women will be giving birth with you today.
Relax and breathe and do nothing else.
Labor is hard work and you can do it.
~Unknown
Relax and breathe and do nothing else.
Labor is hard work and you can do it.
~Unknown
The knowledge of how to give birth without outside intervention lies deep within each woman. Successful childbirth depends on an acceptance of the process.
~ Suzanne Arms
~ Suzanne Arms
"A grand adventure is about to begin." ~Winnie the Pooh
Friday, April 22, 2011
Nighttime Parenting
One of the conference sessions we attended at the LLL Conference was very simply titled, "Nighttime Parenting." This phrase sounds nondescript, yet it caught my attention because while we know parenting is a 24/7 job, society has a few things they say or ask about parenting at night, and we don't commonly think of parenting during what my husband refers to on his job as "mids." Common questions new parents hear include "Does she sleep through the night?" "How much sleep are you getting?" "Where is she sleeping?" "She's not in your room still, is she?" and the like. American society seems to be pretty focused on fitting babies into adult schedules as conveniently and quickly as possible. Early on in pregnancy I pointed out to my husband that for much of your life, your stomach is roughly the size of your fist... have you ever SEEN a newborn's fist? They're TINY! It has always made sense to me that a baby isn't supposed to sleep all night. Cue the fabulous, amazing, hope-instilling, validating conference session, Nighttime Parenting.
The opening mantra of sorts for this seminar will resonate with me for this child, for our next child, and hopefully our third someday... Whatever sleeping arrangement allows Mommy to 'mommy' in the morning is the RIGHT sleeping arrangement. John and I exchanged the same look, as if to say, “really? It’s ok? Well we can do that!”
I have known since long before baby girl was on her way that someday when we had a newborn, I would want the baby in our room, close to me, and I never had a timeline for how long , I just knew he or she would have to be near me… I knew that would be the only place I would be comfortable having a newborn and I hoped John wouldn’t mind because I’d hate to upset him as I went about what I was going to do anyway. J When one of my friends was expecting last winter, she introduced me to the concept of the Arm’s Reach Co-sleeper. .. Perfect! While I want the baby as close to me as possible, I have been trying to figure out how to coordinate our furry children who sometimes climb into the bed for snuggles or comforter theft… I can’t have a 40-lb snoring dog passed out next to a newborn! The co-sleeper is the perfect compromise, I can have the baby right next to me, slide her into bed for nighttime feedings, and if the dogs happen upon our bed, my body will block them. Now I just had to update John on this plan. Thankfully, as with all other pregnancy/parenting decisions that have come up, John has trusted either my education or my instinct (often both) and been supportive. Our conversations have gone something like this:
Me: I’m firing my OB/GYN and getting a midwife
John: Let’s go interview some, do you want a homebirth?
********************************
Me: I want to see a midwife AND birth at a birth center.
John: The midwife said I can help deliver the baby!
********************************
Me: I’m going to breastfeed.
John: That’s awesome, my daddy book says once you’ve established a good breastfeeding routine, then I can occasionally bottle feed pumped milk, but only one feeding a day at first.
********************************
Me: I am going to a La Leche League Conference, Dads can go, too.
John: Do I need to take a day off or am I free?
********************************
Me: I want to hypnobirth, possibly in the water
John: I can be in the water, too.
********************************
Me: I want to use only chlorine-free diapers and wipes
John: Where can we get them cheapest?
********************************
Me: I’m going to wear the baby.
John: Can I get my own sling?
********************************
John’s initial reaction was definitely supportive, but we both don’t know much about co-sleeping. I have read a little bit about attachment and co-sleeping, which is very appealing to a wannabe-stay-at-home working mom-to-be, but I had what I presume are some common questions- how long do you do it? What if you want to go away for a night? When should the baby sleep in her room? When will we have private time?
The conference session was not a lecture offering the researched correct answers for these questions, but somehow we found our answers… parents in the room shared their experiences with co-sleeping, and many of them have multiple children (so there IS still private time with co-sleeping!)… the general consensus had several themes:
-Crying it out never works. Dr. Sears adamantly speaks out against this method and in his experience as a pediatrician, he defines the “it” is baby’s need and the “out” is giving up. When a baby is left to “Cry it out,” they stop crying when they have given up asking for their needs to be met… not my idea of loving/parenting.
-Pediatricians, friends, acquaintances, and strangers are very curious ‘How is baby sleeping?” The generally accepted LLL answer is, “With her eyes closed.” J
- Co-sleeping parents seem to get a decent night’s sleep pretty early on, and everyone we heard from indicated they don’t know how they’d sleep otherwise.
- school-age children who co-slept as babies DO sleep in their own rooms, but feel safe coming to their parents for comfort- what a good feeling that is to look forward to!
Each parent in the room described their nighttime parenting routines and arrangement and the one that I liked the best seemed like the best of both worlds (like the co-sleeper!)… the parents put the baby down after dinner/story time in her crib in her room, when she wakes for the first nighttime feeding, they bring her into their room and she spends the remainder of the night in the co-sleeper. I like this idea because the nursery isn’t totally foreign to the child, you get regular use out of the crib, and there’s some grown-up time worked into each night. The baby’s needs never go unmet, and there is predictability. We think this is what we’ll try. Comment below, I’d love to hear your sleeping arrangements with baby and/or experiences with co-sleeping!
The opening mantra of sorts for this seminar will resonate with me for this child, for our next child, and hopefully our third someday... Whatever sleeping arrangement allows Mommy to 'mommy' in the morning is the RIGHT sleeping arrangement. John and I exchanged the same look, as if to say, “really? It’s ok? Well we can do that!”
I have known since long before baby girl was on her way that someday when we had a newborn, I would want the baby in our room, close to me, and I never had a timeline for how long , I just knew he or she would have to be near me… I knew that would be the only place I would be comfortable having a newborn and I hoped John wouldn’t mind because I’d hate to upset him as I went about what I was going to do anyway. J When one of my friends was expecting last winter, she introduced me to the concept of the Arm’s Reach Co-sleeper. .. Perfect! While I want the baby as close to me as possible, I have been trying to figure out how to coordinate our furry children who sometimes climb into the bed for snuggles or comforter theft… I can’t have a 40-lb snoring dog passed out next to a newborn! The co-sleeper is the perfect compromise, I can have the baby right next to me, slide her into bed for nighttime feedings, and if the dogs happen upon our bed, my body will block them. Now I just had to update John on this plan. Thankfully, as with all other pregnancy/parenting decisions that have come up, John has trusted either my education or my instinct (often both) and been supportive. Our conversations have gone something like this:
Me: I’m firing my OB/GYN and getting a midwife
John: Let’s go interview some, do you want a homebirth?
********************************
Me: I want to see a midwife AND birth at a birth center.
John: The midwife said I can help deliver the baby!
********************************
Me: I’m going to breastfeed.
John: That’s awesome, my daddy book says once you’ve established a good breastfeeding routine, then I can occasionally bottle feed pumped milk, but only one feeding a day at first.
********************************
Me: I am going to a La Leche League Conference, Dads can go, too.
John: Do I need to take a day off or am I free?
********************************
Me: I want to hypnobirth, possibly in the water
John: I can be in the water, too.
********************************
Me: I want to use only chlorine-free diapers and wipes
John: Where can we get them cheapest?
********************************
Me: I’m going to wear the baby.
John: Can I get my own sling?
********************************
John’s initial reaction was definitely supportive, but we both don’t know much about co-sleeping. I have read a little bit about attachment and co-sleeping, which is very appealing to a wannabe-stay-at-home working mom-to-be, but I had what I presume are some common questions- how long do you do it? What if you want to go away for a night? When should the baby sleep in her room? When will we have private time?
The conference session was not a lecture offering the researched correct answers for these questions, but somehow we found our answers… parents in the room shared their experiences with co-sleeping, and many of them have multiple children (so there IS still private time with co-sleeping!)… the general consensus had several themes:
-Crying it out never works. Dr. Sears adamantly speaks out against this method and in his experience as a pediatrician, he defines the “it” is baby’s need and the “out” is giving up. When a baby is left to “Cry it out,” they stop crying when they have given up asking for their needs to be met… not my idea of loving/parenting.
-Pediatricians, friends, acquaintances, and strangers are very curious ‘How is baby sleeping?” The generally accepted LLL answer is, “With her eyes closed.” J
- Co-sleeping parents seem to get a decent night’s sleep pretty early on, and everyone we heard from indicated they don’t know how they’d sleep otherwise.
- school-age children who co-slept as babies DO sleep in their own rooms, but feel safe coming to their parents for comfort- what a good feeling that is to look forward to!
Each parent in the room described their nighttime parenting routines and arrangement and the one that I liked the best seemed like the best of both worlds (like the co-sleeper!)… the parents put the baby down after dinner/story time in her crib in her room, when she wakes for the first nighttime feeding, they bring her into their room and she spends the remainder of the night in the co-sleeper. I like this idea because the nursery isn’t totally foreign to the child, you get regular use out of the crib, and there’s some grown-up time worked into each night. The baby’s needs never go unmet, and there is predictability. We think this is what we’ll try. Comment below, I’d love to hear your sleeping arrangements with baby and/or experiences with co-sleeping!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Birth doesn't have to be painful, and other cool things I learned in Hypnobirthing
This week we had our first hypnobirthing class (of five). I have been [most times] politely ignoring comments from people the past 25 weeks about how painful their births were, how scary birth can be, how XYZ intervention had to happen because of ABC, how I have no idea what I'm in for, how I'll know I want an epidural once I'm "in the moment," and how I won't get a medal for going natural... the list goes on- I've filtered MANY messages. People aren't eager to tell you how capable you are, how strong you are, or remind you that a woman's body was MEANT to birth... not the common person, but ahhh, enter the HYPNOBIRTH INSTRUCTOR! TA DA!
You can birth!
It doesn't have to be excruciating!
Your body knows what to do!
Your baby knows what to do!
Birth can be beautiful!
How many people have heard these affirmations from an OB/GYN? I sure hadn't. I have done a good amount of reading the past few months, I have read of ecstatic and even orgasmic births in Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, I have seen You Tube videos of peaceful hypnobirths, and I have followed some great blogs about natural birth. Thank the LORD for the internet so I can seek out my own positive supports. I decided hypnobirthing was for me long before I knew anyone personally who has done it, and it's been nice that I have found a crunchy mama here and there who has done it (all have great feedback), but I was largely going into this on my own instinct, deciding that what I understood of hypnobirthing aligned with what I believe. People (mostly at work) think I'm crazy when I say that I am looking forward to birth, I see the potential for what an amazing day it can be, and like everything else in my Type-A life, I want to be good at it!
Enter Kate, our hypnobirthing instructor, who we met Monday. She is one of the few instructors in the state who offers private in-home classes, which we needed to fit around John's work schedule. In our email exchanges Kate was friendly and kind, I got the impression we'd enjoy learning with her. When she introduced herself this week we heard a bit about her own hypnobirth... she delivered twins naturally using hypnobirthing, in an operating room (talk about ambiance, eh?). What an endorsement! If she can deliver two kids in one day with hypnobirthing, surely I can deliver one.
The goal of hypnobirthing education is that by alleviating unnecessary fears around childbirth and enhancing confidence in mom and baby's bodies and instincts, total relaxation is feasible. The modules have the perfect mix of logic and science for the academic in me, and it just... makes sense. Have you ever asked yourself why humans are the only mammals that scream and cry and wail in childbirth? Maybe we're doing it wrong...
Hypnobirth talks about Dr. Grantly Dick-Read's Fear-Tension-Pain relationship... Fears about birth or labor, often created and enhanced and perpetuated by media and medical professionals (and ladies at work, at the grocery store, and great Aunt Millie at the family picnic)... these fears, however irrational they may be, create tension... which leads to... PAIN! A great example we heard in class was flexing of a bicep, when you contract a bicep, it doesn't hurt, you can curl your bicep and hold it for 30-60 seconds... might get tired, but doesn't hurt. This leads to a crazy question... Why would the uterus be the only muscle in the entire body that hurts to contract? Probably doesn't have to be that way. When you run without breathing properly, what happens? You get a cramp, the cramp hurts... if you were breathing and contracting properly, running wouldn't be painful- and thus.. childbirth doesn't have to be either. Hypnobirthing does not by any means promise a pain-free labor, but most women describe it as uncomfortable at times, and not nearly as painful as the typical water cooler traumatic birth story.
If left to its own devices, the uterus will contract and expand on its own, thinning the cervix and opening the birth canal. If a woman is NEVER instructed to push on demand, told to count to 10, and just sat back (or laid back or squatted, wherever she needs to be), simply breathing deeply can help the baby down. There is a series of muscle actions that can occur if the woman lets her body work with her baby, called the Maternal Fetal Ejection Reflex. If this series of muscle activities is allowed to occur in a relaxed mother, the uterus will on its own accord push the baby out, slowly and gently, and the birth canal will stretch in gentle waves as mom's body slowly guides the baby down... no counting to ten, holding breath, or straining beyond the norm required. Understanding this phenomenon is empowering, my body knows how my baby needs to come out, when each need rest, and it all happens when one surrenders to the birth process. I feel empowered knowing that all I need to do is relax, for the next 15 weeks, I will practice this... relaxing!
The hypnobirth education program includes 2 cd's with 4 guided meditation/relaxation exercises, these include birth "rehearsal" envisioning the perfect birth (hello, self-fulfilling prophecy), affirming that mom's body knows what it needs to do, reminding that baby is aware and also will instinctively know what to do, and educating mom and partner on how to relax quickly and deeply. The first few nights I've been doing these CD's I have had some great experiences
-I am sleeping better than I have in weeks, definitely falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer
-I love feeling the baby react to my relaxation exercises, I know I'm giving her good endorphins and oxygen now, and will create a more peaceful birth for her when she's ready to make her entry into the world... what a great birth day gift!
-I feel empowered knowing birth doesn't have to be dreaded, feared, or miserable!
I'd love to write more, but I have some laundry to fold before relaxation exercise time :-) Before I close, I'm going to attach a YouTube link to my favorite online hypnobirth video thus far, please take a few minutes to view, it's INCREDIBLE what birth can be.
*Hypno Water Birth at a Birth Center*
*Nancy's Home Hypno Water Birth*
You can birth!
It doesn't have to be excruciating!
Your body knows what to do!
Your baby knows what to do!
Birth can be beautiful!
How many people have heard these affirmations from an OB/GYN? I sure hadn't. I have done a good amount of reading the past few months, I have read of ecstatic and even orgasmic births in Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, I have seen You Tube videos of peaceful hypnobirths, and I have followed some great blogs about natural birth. Thank the LORD for the internet so I can seek out my own positive supports. I decided hypnobirthing was for me long before I knew anyone personally who has done it, and it's been nice that I have found a crunchy mama here and there who has done it (all have great feedback), but I was largely going into this on my own instinct, deciding that what I understood of hypnobirthing aligned with what I believe. People (mostly at work) think I'm crazy when I say that I am looking forward to birth, I see the potential for what an amazing day it can be, and like everything else in my Type-A life, I want to be good at it!
Enter Kate, our hypnobirthing instructor, who we met Monday. She is one of the few instructors in the state who offers private in-home classes, which we needed to fit around John's work schedule. In our email exchanges Kate was friendly and kind, I got the impression we'd enjoy learning with her. When she introduced herself this week we heard a bit about her own hypnobirth... she delivered twins naturally using hypnobirthing, in an operating room (talk about ambiance, eh?). What an endorsement! If she can deliver two kids in one day with hypnobirthing, surely I can deliver one.
The goal of hypnobirthing education is that by alleviating unnecessary fears around childbirth and enhancing confidence in mom and baby's bodies and instincts, total relaxation is feasible. The modules have the perfect mix of logic and science for the academic in me, and it just... makes sense. Have you ever asked yourself why humans are the only mammals that scream and cry and wail in childbirth? Maybe we're doing it wrong...
Hypnobirth talks about Dr. Grantly Dick-Read's Fear-Tension-Pain relationship... Fears about birth or labor, often created and enhanced and perpetuated by media and medical professionals (and ladies at work, at the grocery store, and great Aunt Millie at the family picnic)... these fears, however irrational they may be, create tension... which leads to... PAIN! A great example we heard in class was flexing of a bicep, when you contract a bicep, it doesn't hurt, you can curl your bicep and hold it for 30-60 seconds... might get tired, but doesn't hurt. This leads to a crazy question... Why would the uterus be the only muscle in the entire body that hurts to contract? Probably doesn't have to be that way. When you run without breathing properly, what happens? You get a cramp, the cramp hurts... if you were breathing and contracting properly, running wouldn't be painful- and thus.. childbirth doesn't have to be either. Hypnobirthing does not by any means promise a pain-free labor, but most women describe it as uncomfortable at times, and not nearly as painful as the typical water cooler traumatic birth story.
If left to its own devices, the uterus will contract and expand on its own, thinning the cervix and opening the birth canal. If a woman is NEVER instructed to push on demand, told to count to 10, and just sat back (or laid back or squatted, wherever she needs to be), simply breathing deeply can help the baby down. There is a series of muscle actions that can occur if the woman lets her body work with her baby, called the Maternal Fetal Ejection Reflex. If this series of muscle activities is allowed to occur in a relaxed mother, the uterus will on its own accord push the baby out, slowly and gently, and the birth canal will stretch in gentle waves as mom's body slowly guides the baby down... no counting to ten, holding breath, or straining beyond the norm required. Understanding this phenomenon is empowering, my body knows how my baby needs to come out, when each need rest, and it all happens when one surrenders to the birth process. I feel empowered knowing that all I need to do is relax, for the next 15 weeks, I will practice this... relaxing!
The hypnobirth education program includes 2 cd's with 4 guided meditation/relaxation exercises, these include birth "rehearsal" envisioning the perfect birth (hello, self-fulfilling prophecy), affirming that mom's body knows what it needs to do, reminding that baby is aware and also will instinctively know what to do, and educating mom and partner on how to relax quickly and deeply. The first few nights I've been doing these CD's I have had some great experiences
-I am sleeping better than I have in weeks, definitely falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer
-I love feeling the baby react to my relaxation exercises, I know I'm giving her good endorphins and oxygen now, and will create a more peaceful birth for her when she's ready to make her entry into the world... what a great birth day gift!
-I feel empowered knowing birth doesn't have to be dreaded, feared, or miserable!
I'd love to write more, but I have some laundry to fold before relaxation exercise time :-) Before I close, I'm going to attach a YouTube link to my favorite online hypnobirth video thus far, please take a few minutes to view, it's INCREDIBLE what birth can be.
*Hypno Water Birth at a Birth Center*
*Nancy's Home Hypno Water Birth*
Sunday, April 10, 2011
These are my kind of mommies...
The breastfeeding workshops were informative and helpful as well as encouraging... as I learn more about breastfeeding my confidence and commitment to this little girl both grow stronger. I also feel a bit of an ego trip, I am woman, watch me make milk! I think it's pretty fabulous that not only can I grow a human, but I can make everything she needs to grow and thrive, by simply eating healthy and staying hydrated. I think it's amazing that as she grows and changes, my milk will grow and change. Even though we are no longer sharing the same blood supply, I give her all she needs, nifty! Here are some great facts about breastfeeding and breastmilk that I think are deserving of blog space:
Fact: No baby is allergic to their mom's milk. Back in the 80s my mom was told this when my sister got sick in her first days of life. We now know that babies can be allergic to something in mom's DIET, but never her milk, it makes sense- why would your body grow a human it can't feed. The most common reason for babies' reaction to breastmilk is cow proteins that aren't always easily digested, these don't always mix well with a newborn digestive tract
Fact: Breastfeeding reduces a woman's risk of breast, cervical, uterine and ovarian cancers. Cool bonus! Further, here's a quote from April 2010 Scientific American Magazine... In fact, not breastfeeding after giving birth seems to put women at higher risk for breast and ovarian cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many other serious health conditions. The mechanisms behind these increased risks are still being sorted out, but researchers think that by not engaging in the process that the body prepares for during pregnancy, many crucial systems can go out of whack. And the effects can last for decades after children are weaned.
"The normal physiology is breastfeeding after pregnancy," says Alison Stuebe, an assistant professor in the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, who describes breastfeeding as the fourth trimester of pregnancy. When women cannot or choose not to breastfeed, "there are myriad consequences, and we're just figuring them out," she says
Fact: Adults who were breastfed as babies often have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and type-2 diabetes. There is evidence that people who were breastfed perform better in intelligence tests. So my kids will be more intelligent AND healthier. Even better!
Fact: Breastfed babies have lower rates of obesity and weight problems later in life. There are three possible explanations for an association between breastfeeding and reduced risk of obesity at an older age. Breastfed infants may self-regulate their intake; breastfed infants have lower plasma insulin levels, which stimulates greater adipose tissue deposition; and breastfed infants have an increased level of leptin, a protein hormone in human milk. Leptin is thought to be a key regulator of appetite and body fatness. In reviewing 11 studies, 8 showed a lower risk of obesity in children who had been breastfed Dewey, K.G. Is breastfeeding protective against child obesity? J Human Lact 2003; 19 (1) 9-18.
Fact: Children who were breastfed have less incidence of asthma, allergies, eczema, and ear infections. La Leche League also states that breastfeeding also has a protective effect against juvenile diabetes, celiac disease, childhood cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, urinary tract infections, multiple sclerosis, liver disease, and acute appendicitis.
Fact: Breastfeeding saves EVERYONE money. Just counting the improved health outcomes for the infants alone, the U.S. could save about $13 billion each year on medical costs if 90 percent of women nursed their infants exclusively for the first six months, according to an analysis by led by Melissa Bartick of the Department of Medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School, published March 2010 in the journal Pediatrics.
Fact: Breastfeeding makes vaccines more efficient: Breastfeeding increases the effectiveness of immunizations, increasing the protection against polio, tetanus, and diptheria vaccines.
Fact: Breastfeeding is great for baby's oral health: The activity of sucking at the breast enhances development of baby’s oral muscles, facial bones, and aids in optimal dental development. Additionally, the regular act of feeding at the breast reduces baby's risk of TMJ, as the jaw forms properly.
If you have a cool fact about breastfeeding, please comment below, I'd love to add more to the list!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The walk button... and other puppy tricks
As I got up from my desk to venture across our ginormous office to the ladies room (which in some cruel joke is located at the furthest point from the one pregnant lady in the building) on my 11th or 12th trip of the day, I realized how smart my daughter is. People say babies in the womb like the soothing motion of momma walking. Baby has CLEARLY figured out that I have to walk a good tenth of a mile to the bathroom each time she presses what I have named, the walk button. I also call it "the organ formerly known as bladder," but to her, it's the walk button. She pushes it, I have to stop what I'm doing, log off my phone and *PRESTO!* We're going for a walk! Gosh my unborn child is crafty, brilliant even. She's got me well trained, she pushes, I drop everything and take her for a walk. My three dogs would LOVE a walk button. Sometimes they gaze longingly at the leash, sometimes they hover by the front door, but they don't have a button entirely devoted to fulfilling their requests... if they only knew. She can even modify my pace... I may be taking a leisurely stroll around the mall in this neverending inclement weather and suddenly she decides, "Hey mom, speed it up a bit... *PRESS*" and off I go, like the starting gun in a 5K, I'm a woman on a mission, make way! Genius!
My daughter is also teaching me tricks to entertain herself in our remaining 18 or so weeks as bodymates... her favorite is "roll over," (please refer to The Human Rotisserie" blog post for more info on this). Not only can I not get comfortable in bed for more than 20 minutes at a time, but she also wants to kick back and relax on demand. Shortly after my latest rotisserie turn, if baby girl decides she isn't feeling the position of the 1/2 hour, she'll spread her arms and stretch a ligament or two so I have no choice but to turn. I envision a smaller version of myself saying, "Mommy, not this wayyyyy mooooove over!" and so I move, and she wins. The "Mommy Roll Over" has been mastered.
I have also mastered "lay down," although this may be more pregnancy than daughter... everywhere I am I just want to put my feet up, lean on a shopping cart (or husband if available), stretch back... anything remotely close to laying down, I'm there. I don't dare stretch and breathe at the gym for fear I'd start snoring right there... I have this lay down thing to a science. 30 minutes after I start my day, I'm ready for my first trick... can it please be lay down? A close relative of "lay down" is "sit, stay." I enjoy both sitting and staying these days, if only I got treats (like Ben and Jerry's, for example) for sitting and staying. We don't call it this in our home, but on nights when John is around, he often lets me sit and stay, and rewards me with ice cream. Not a bad situation if I do say so myself.
I'd love to write about my other many puppy trick talents, but alas, someone's pushing The Walk Button. :-)
My daughter is also teaching me tricks to entertain herself in our remaining 18 or so weeks as bodymates... her favorite is "roll over," (please refer to The Human Rotisserie" blog post for more info on this). Not only can I not get comfortable in bed for more than 20 minutes at a time, but she also wants to kick back and relax on demand. Shortly after my latest rotisserie turn, if baby girl decides she isn't feeling the position of the 1/2 hour, she'll spread her arms and stretch a ligament or two so I have no choice but to turn. I envision a smaller version of myself saying, "Mommy, not this wayyyyy mooooove over!" and so I move, and she wins. The "Mommy Roll Over" has been mastered.
I have also mastered "lay down," although this may be more pregnancy than daughter... everywhere I am I just want to put my feet up, lean on a shopping cart (or husband if available), stretch back... anything remotely close to laying down, I'm there. I don't dare stretch and breathe at the gym for fear I'd start snoring right there... I have this lay down thing to a science. 30 minutes after I start my day, I'm ready for my first trick... can it please be lay down? A close relative of "lay down" is "sit, stay." I enjoy both sitting and staying these days, if only I got treats (like Ben and Jerry's, for example) for sitting and staying. We don't call it this in our home, but on nights when John is around, he often lets me sit and stay, and rewards me with ice cream. Not a bad situation if I do say so myself.
I'd love to write about my other many puppy trick talents, but alas, someone's pushing The Walk Button. :-)
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