natural care and baby ideas

Two Weeks of Breastfeeding

2007-02-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

Now considering breast or bottle feeding might have been a longer decision making process for you. As for me, I was sure right away that I wanted to breastfeed. It seemed the natural thing to do. And most likely many of you thought the same way. Also, you might be aware of all the great benefits of breast feeding such as the anti bodies that your baby receives with your breast milk, the bonding time with you, and the weight loss help just to mention a few. Basically, we heard of all these benefits and our decisions were easily made. Off we went onto our venture to a happy baby future.

How beautiful is the first feeding? As you lay in bed after delivery, exhausted, excited about your newborn, you might be very proud of yourself as you offer him your breast for the first time. It is your way of connecting again after the umbilical cord was just cut minutes before. It calms you down, knowing that everything is alright with your newborn. Then he sleeps for a long while. He wakes up, eats some more and peacefully sleeps a lot over the first hours of his life. So far you have not noticed any changes with your breasts. You might even be wondering if there is any milk or enough milk being produced for your baby. But most of all, you are both very content with how things are going.

Should I now say ‘Reality kicked in soon’, or maybe call it ‘The Great Awakening’? Two or three days pass by. Baby and mother sleep a lot, but mother starts to get concerned if she is producing enough milk. The thought barely settled in her mind as she can feel her breasts get heavier. Within hours her soft and loving breasts grow by two cup sizes, what was soft before turned into solid hard and hot. Engorgement has taken place and Breast feeding becomes a very serious endeavor. Engorgement is very uncomfortable and does hurt. In addition, the baby now finds it difficult to latch on correctly due to the hardness of the breasts. Usually, engorgement last for about 12 to 48 hours until the milk production has regulated itself.

Another common burden of breast feeding mothers is sore nipples. I have my doubts that there has ever been a mother that fed her baby and did not experience this. Not only does the mother have to learn this and that technique about breastfeeding but also the baby needs to learn to latch on correctly. It takes a couple days, just be patient. Also there are some remedies available at your pharmacy to put on the nipples to give immediate relieve from the soreness and help with the milk flow, as well as heal cracks in nipples. Some women however find their only remedy from the pain in pumping and then bottle feeding the breast milk to the baby. This is a great alternative since it still gives the baby all the nutrition from the breast milk.

Will there ever be an end to the pain of breastfeeding? Will it ever be enjoyable for you and your baby? Does it really help bonding for mother and baby? Usually, you can expect the most discomforts to take place in the first two weeks after delivery. I’m not saying after the first two weeks everything will be bright and shiny, but the majority of discomforts will most likely disappear and you will be able to start enjoying your baby and the times of breast feeding. Stick with it, in the end it will all be worth it.

Don't you dare break my Water

2007-01-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

Been at the midwifes today again. I think I'm week41 day 2 or so. Anyhow, we had a good time, she said sometime between today and the next twelve days it's probably going to happen that I'll have my baby. Funny, twelve days! Sounds like a long time, doesn't it? But really, this sounded better than hearing: it's gonna be at least another week.

They told me I don't have to come in until the contractions are about 2min apart and lasting for 60-90sec. By the way, you count contractions this way:

You count how far they are apart from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next.
You count how long they are from the beginning of one to the end of it.

Usually, a woman has contractions first, then it takes place that the water breaks. Some women, the water does not break. In that case doctors might break the water, which can end up with pretty painful contractions and labor. Also, as a woman is nearly all the way dialated without her water broken yet, it is not the babies head, but the membrane pushing the cervix open. After breaking the water at this stage the cervix closes again.

It is much easier on the woman to birth the baby with the membrane intact. That sounds really nice to me, just take the bubble off later. Thinking about it, puppy dogs get born in their membrane and the mom chews it off. Now I'm hoping that my water is not going to break and I can say I have a Bubble Birth. That would be so cool.

Preparing your Dog for your LO's arrival

2007-01-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

First the rant. Everyone and their cow gives me advice on how the dog is going to react when I'm finally going to have my baby. By the way, I'm 8 days overdue today, enough said.

Well, when I first told my grandma that I was pregnant, her response was: oh, then you need to give your dog away. Then as I was talking to my mother I got the whole talk of: when the baby is there, the dog can't be sleeping in the bedroom anymore. Later grandma added that I should not feed the dog too much, that I won't have enough money to feed myself anymore being pregnant.

Wow, where am I going to start? To give you a short introduction, my dog is about a year old, a pure breed Great Dane, and the sweetest thing ever. First of all, when I decided on a dog I picked that breed on purpose because I know they are good with kids and he is intimidating in case my husband isn't home.

Enough of my complaints though, here are some things we taught him, so that it will be easier with the kid...

First of all he learned to sleep in in the mornings. I just don't let him wake me up, and he knows better than doing that.
Next he sits next to our front door when we leave, so by the time we are ready to let him in the car we'll just call him up.
He is the last one coming into the house when we come home.
In case he stayed home, he waits for us on his bed to greet him, not at the front door.
No jumping on furniture at all.
And then of cause sit and down, they are always the most helpful.

He is a really good boy though, and I'm excited for the child that he can grow up with a dog in the house. Did I mention that we also touch his ears and lips a lot, in case the baby decides to pull on them one day?

Well, if anyone is having more advice, please leave me a comment or send an e-mail. Also I would love to hear some positive stories of how children live with dogs. It is just so encouraging to me and an alternative to all the worries my family is dumping on me.

The Real Pain of being Overdue

2007-01-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be painful enough to deal with my own thoughts and emotions during every day that I'm overdue.
All the little cloth in my closet that remind me of the joy to come.
The Belly that is getting bigger and bigger beyong belief. (I hate when I open the fridge and forget how big my belly is. Hope the little one doesn't get hurt)
And then of cause all the pinched nerves in my lower abdomen and my legs.
Random Contractions, Baby Parts getting stuck in my ribs, and so on and so forth.

No, this is not all you have to go through, ever single day after your due date.

First you are having all those people that star at you. You've got people that ask if you are dialated. That is so none of their business how I am doing down there. Your mother asking about your Amniotic Fluid. But as you ask further, find out she has no clue on how they even test it. Everyone asking how you are doing. What the heck am I supposed to answer?

Now the worst part.

Today I am officially one week overdue. Seems like a huge miracle how that can happen. Everybody expressing how they hope for me it will be soon that the baby comes out. But honestly, if that little guy wants to stay in a little longer, I'm okay with that. But then all the advice that I'm getting. Mother-in-Law is telling how she would walk for hours and my husband finally came out. Midwife is suggesting lots of intercourse. Maybe I should try some belly dancing?

Are we humans the only weirdos on the planet. Seriously, who knows any other creature that would do that: being full term pregnant and having intercourse on mass? Or being active beyond believe while having this belly to carry around?

No thing is so insane. For example, the animals we know the best, the dogs and cats, they get quiet, find themselves a secret place, and wait it out. Babies will come out when they are ready. I doubt very hightly that I'm going to be pregnant for another ten years with this baby. He will come, just maybe not on my timing but on his. So what?

Thank you, Mom, for taking Folic Acid!

2007-01-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

When I first found out that I was pregnant and had my first visit at my midwife's, I was given a little diaper bag with all sorts of information and samples included. That was exciting, but since I was only couple weeks pregnant, I left it sitting around for quite a while before getting to it.

Now that I'm about to have my little one I pulled all the stuff out again. Checked out the Samples and the magazines that were included. Who does not love free Samples? I got Samples of baby bottles, a binky, bra pads and a box with Folic Acid.

What the heck, I thought. I had no idea what that stuff was good for anyhow, plus I'm rather suspicious in regards to synthetic Vitamins. But curiosity got a hold of me. What is it about Folic Acid and Pregnancy? Here is what I've found:

Folic Acid is a B Vitamin. To be more specific it is the B9 Vitamin. Just in case you were wondering or are trying to find it on your Vitamin box.

Most Multivitamins already contain enough Folic Acid. So, you might just check if you are already taking the required daily dosage. It's great though, I love when I have everything together and not having to do extras everywhere.

Folic Acid help in making new healthy cells. Science is still working quite a big on finding out what all it is good for, but so far they found out it is helping in making new healthy cells. Sounds very important in regards to Pregnancy, doesn't it?

The Recommendation for Pregnant Women is 400-600 micrograms (.4-.6mg) daily. Most supplements seem to work with .4mg daily and a lot of Multivitamins have this amount already covered.

Other Sources of Folic Acid include Fruits and Vegetables, as well as fortified Cereals and Flour Products. Isn't it always the same, eat your eight servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Since most women don't, it is recommended to always take a supplement.

Folic Acid prevents up to 70% of birth defects of the baby's brain and spine. One Example of a birth defect is Spina bifida, which is paralysis of the lower body.

Take Folic Acid before you get Pregnant. According to the U.S. Public Health Service, women need folic acid a month before they get pregnant through the first few weeks the baby is growing. Therefore it is very important to get enough of this Vitamin when you are trying to conceive or there is a possibility for you to get pregnant.

Now this information makes me feel really good that I've always taken my Multivitamin during the time that I got pregnant. Plus I remember eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables during that time.

About the Supplement from my Baby Bag, I don't think I'm gonna do anything with it. I'm just too much convinced of organic Vitamins and organic Fruits and Vegetables than to take them. It was good though for me to have my curiosity stirred up and find out what Folic Acid or the Vitamin B9 is really about.

Are You Spoiling your Child?

2007-01-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

"A wise friend once told me this analogy:

Look at a fruit tree. As long as the fruit remains on the tree, it can grow into ripeness, ready to be picked at just the right time to nourish us and others.
Look at the fruit that falls off the tree too early. It lies on the ground, rotting, spoiling. It is no good to anyone.
The tree is the mother, the father, the nurturing adults in a child's life.
The child is the fruit.

As long as the child is lovingly fed and cared for by the adults, he will come into ripeness and be ready for his purpose.

A child left alone, uncuddled, uncared for is the one who is spoiled.

That is the child who turns to other sources of apparent comfort - maybe drugs, maybe food, maybe getting pregnant to have a baby to love."
This is a part of an article I found in a local magazine on Babies. I was so impressed with the story, how the writer defines a spoiled child.

Thinking of spoiled children, a screaming little boy comes to your mind. Maybe one at the supermarket at the checkout. He is throwing himself on the floor, receiving the entire attention of the people surrounding you. He wants that toy, that candy, that whatever.

Or you are thinking of the little girl. You tell her to go to bed and she ignores you. You pick her up and carry her to brush her teeth. She is getting loud, tears are rolling, fighting your touch as much as she can, all the way to her little bed.

Of cause our children can misbehave if they do not get what they want. We can spoil them one day with something special and they now expect it as a common thing.

When we say our children are spoiled we usually talk about material things. Sometimes we even talk about wants and desires that they have. But can a child really be spoiled in view of their basic needs? Can you give a child too much love, too much attention, too much cuddling?

I guess with a child's needs it is just the opposite as it is with their wants. If you give him too much of what he wants he can become spoiled. But if you make the mistake and give him too little of what he needs, he will be spoiled just as well.

Give your child lots of love, lots of warmth, lots of good things. Do not neglect the important things they need in order to grow and mature. Understand that when they are crying, it is not always for a want, sometimes it can just as well be for a need.

I thought I was in Labor, but then I learned the Real Signs

2007-01-18T23:33:00.000-07:00

Now I am overdue for three days and still no sign of labor. Though, there have been many signs I thought I saw, but then I learned what the real signs were. I remember all the walks I took with my dog about a month ago, thinking of what I would do if labor started right that moment. Out in the neighborhood. By myself. Who would I call? What would I do? And now I sit here and still nothing happened.

But lets get to the meat.

One sign of Prelabor is that your uterus changes with the activities you do. Let me explain. Right now it is January and it is really cold outside. My husband, such a sweetheart, goes out and warms the car up before we go places. When I get into the car, it is nice and warm, except for my seat. Every time I sit down and the cold touches my back I get one good long cramp running all the way through my back. This surely is the time you would appreciate heated car seats and you start to wonder if they invented them especially for pregnant women.

Another sign of Prelabor is that contractions do not build in intensity and disappear after a while. One morning I was laying in bed, I so did not feel like getting up at all and my stomach would tighten up every now and then. Somehow I felt awful for a good while, but then I got too bored, got up and soon was feeling just fine. That morning I also learned that sometimes when your uterus contracts you can get light hot flashes which made me just feel sicker and sicker.

My most helpful sign for Prelabor is that the contractions are not painful. I get contractions when I stand up, while I sit at my laptop totally relaxed, I get them all the time. Believe me, when I had a tight stomach like that without being pregnant, you would be impressed with my abs. What am I talking about? I am so impressed with it, that I walk up to my husband all the time asking him to touch my belly and how hard it is.

The last sign for Prelabor that I would like to mention is no blood and no water. No blood always sounds like a good things to me and no water comes simply from the fact that the amniotic membranes stay in tact and your water doesn't break. I got to tell you though. My midwife told me that sometimes women come in being sure that their water broke and they are starting labor. As they run a short test they find out it is not amniotic fluid that they lost. How embarrassing.

Now lets take a look at the real signs of Labor. I don't have examples for those yet, so I'll keep it short, but informative:

There is a regular and rhythmic pattern in which your Uterus contracts.
It keeps contracting no matter what you do.
Contractions become stronger and stronger.
Contractions hurt.
There can be pain in the back or near the pubic bone with Contractions.
You loose your mucus plug, which means you find mucus and dark blood coming out of you.
Contractions are staying longer.
Your water may break.

Today, I had another prenatal appointment and learned something new. As labor starts, or at least you think it finally starts, GO TO BED. This serves two purposes. One is that if it is prelabor, your contractions will fade away as you fall asleep. Second, if it is real labor you'll wake up with each contraction but you'll be well rested for the birth and won't wear out in the middle of it.

Baby Clothing and Equipment

2007-01-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

The Market for Baby Clothing and Equipment is infinite. Every brand has their own outfits, their own little extras here and there, hundreds of strollers, thousands of car seats, and millions of diapers it seems like.

I knew that when I got ready to go on my big baby shopping experience, I surely would start with a list of what I needed and not just walk into the closest baby store and roam around. There is just too much stuff to choose from and many things you won't really need and can well do without.

At this point I need to send a thank you to my mom. She has been amazing helping to get all my baby things. For Christmas she arrived with a whole suitcase full of clothing and other things the baby could totally need. I told my husband afterwards that his son is going to be the cutest baby in town.

But now lets get started and do an inventory on all the things that I really got for the little boy to come. By the way, he is two days late today and still no sign he is about to bless us with his presence.

First lets take a look into my closet. I don't have an extra dresser for my baby cloth, so I bought little hangers and made some room for the new stuff. Right now nothing fits me anyways, so I put stuff in boxes and up on top of the closet it goes.

14 one piece underwear
9 shirts
1 pair of tights
4 pants
3 shorts
4 outfits which have little feet to them, you botten them on the shoulders, and a matching shirt
5 one piece suits that he can sleep in
1 poncho (made it myself)
3 pairs of socks
1 snow suit
1 sleeping bag
matching shoes and mittens
1 hat
1 baby towel with hood

also I got

5 thin receiving blankets
1 fleece blanket
another cozy blanket
1 bigger and thicker blanket to lay the baby on
160 disposable diapers
480 baby wipes
baby shampoo and soap in one
baby lotion
baby diaper creme
a hairbrush
scissors for the finger nails
a thermometer
1 Binky
2 bottles

now to all the equipment

an infant car seat (the base is already in the car)
a stroller
a baby bath
a little duck that tells you if the bath water has the right temperature

I guess it is a normal thing as first time mother to worry about all the things your baby needs and if you forgot something important. I love what I once heard, that the first thing newborns really need is warmth, milk, and lots of love. Good that you don't have to buy any of those things.

Seriously, the baby is going to be around for quite a while and there will come more opportunities to go shopping for the little miracle.

Personally, I can think of a couple more things that would be really convenient to have, but not necessary. For example would a changing table be handy, but the baby will be okay without it as well. Or a sling, a baby back carrier, cloth diapers, a dresser, and so on and so forth. Like I tried to say earlier, don't go crazy just because you can buy so many things at your baby store.

Natural Ways of Inducing Labor

2007-01-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

Haven't you heard all those Baby Books tell you that Babies will simply come out when they are ready? Still, sometimes it seems like they need a little bit of encouragement to get on the way.

Naturally, there are many tricks and tips that pregnant women have gathered to help this process along and I want to mention only a few of them, to stir up the desperate minds.

Today I'm on my first day of being officially overdue. My belly is bigger than I ever thought it would get and I can barely sleep with the excitement of my Baby Boy being in my arms soon. I have stretch marks that reach all the way from my belly button, along my sides, onto my back. Makes me wonder if they will go full circle if this takes a lot longer. Desperation is surely coming my way.

Therefore lets look at some of the ways that women have found to get their babies rolling:

The good old method of Stripping the Membranes. This is done by your doctor or midwife during one of your prenatal appointments. Basically, what they do is reach all the way through the cervix with one finger and then do a circular motion, touching the Skin of the Bag your Baby is in. It is also described as Ripening. What usually happens after Stripping the Membranes is a bloody show and cramps for hours afterwards, which can lead to Contractions that lead to Labor. If it does not lead to labor, the bloody show and cramps will subside again. So, if the Baby is ready, this might help encourage him or her to come out. I heard of many women though that had this done to them and had intense pain during the process. Personally I'm also concerned about hygene, since there can always been bacteria coming into the Uterus during this procedure.
Castor Oil is also one of the more commonly known helpers in inducing labor. You can probably find it in the health section of your supermarket. Many women seem to mix it with other liquids in order to drink it and make the taste more acceptable. However, Castor Oil is known to cause bowel cleansing, which in my opinion is not that bad of an idea anyways just before labor. Be careful though. Cautious voices say that it can have negative affects on the baby.
Blue Cohosh Tincture is known to induce labor. It has to be taken regularly every couple of hours during the day. Doctors are still debating if there are health risks for the baby on this one. Be careful.
Nippel Stimulation is also very popular, but some warn not to do it longer than 5-10 minutes at a time. Otherwise it will bring to much contractions at a time and the whole idea ends up being pretty painful for the woman. Some women like to do the stimulation by playing with their nipples, touching them. Others use breastpumps for the stimulation.
Sexual intercourse is a long known method for incuding labor. The male sperm contains prostaglandins which help the cervix to dialate. Many women swear by this method, but don't worry it will only work when the baby is ready to be born.
Orgasms will produce oxytocin which is the natural form of pitocin. Pitocin is used in hospitals to move the process of labor along, bring on contractions, and helps dialate the cervix.
Squats and Hip Rotations might not induce labor, but they might help out encouraging the baby to drop. So do your exercises and introduce your baby to the meaning of gravity.
Walking is always a healthy option to try. Some women walk more than 2 Miles at a time in order to help their labor along. If the weather is bad, just go to the mall.

These are just some of the methods being used to induce labor naturally, but I'm sure it covers the most commonly known and used. Many women also seem to combine a couple of the methods at a time or in a row and are successful with that.

However, if your baby is just not ready yet, there is nothing that could get him going but time and patience. Try to appreciate those last days that you get to carry him around in you, it will never happen again.

And for the first time moms, 60% of you are going to have your babies after your due date anyhow. So, maybe you should try thinking of your due date more like you are having a due season and not an actual date, even though I know that can be quite challenging at times.

What if he came today?

2007-01-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

My Baby is due Today. But I haven't had any signs yet that he will be here soon. I haven't lost my plug, I don't have any contractions, I don't feel differently, I don't bleed at all. The only sign I have are lots of e-mails in my mailbox asking about my progress. Or should I say his progress?

This is my first little one.

I was thinking maybe he would come early and I would hold him in my arms at Christmas but nothing of that sort. A friend made the comment he might be the new year's Baby, but nothing like that happened.

He is very quiet during the day. Only every once in a while I feel him shift around. But in the evening's when I sit on the couch and work on my laptop, then he moves. He shifts his whole body around, sticks a foot into my ribs, leans to one side, and then to the other. About every other day, he has hickups. I can't fall asleep whenever he has hickups.

Happy Birthday.

Today I ate a piece of chocolate cake, with chocolate frosting. After I was done eating, I sang happy birthday to him, but I didn't get any response. Then I went on a walk, but he must have just enjoyed the rhythem of my steps.

Last night I dreamed about him.

Once I had a dream about him. He was early. He came out so easily. There was no pain, nothing. He just came out. And I dreamed he fell of the dresser, but he wasn't hurt, because he was asleep when he fell. You know, babies that sleep can't get hurt. He also knew how to speak. While he was inside of my stomach, he could here us talk the whole time. Of cause he had learned it by now.

We talked about politics and about the British. He had some interesting views and I enjoyed listening to him. My little baby.

But now I'm ready to really meet him. I got my bags packed.
One bag for him:

I have a cute outfit for him. A onepiece underwear. A soft white shirt, white pants, and a little white jacket with hood. Some socks for his feet and a hat just in case.
Then some tiny diapers. Four of them, probably way more than I'll need. And Whipes.
I washed the car seat. This lady gave me an infant car seat and a stroller for $25. That was really nice of her.
And two thin receiving blankets and one fleece blanket that is blue and has a little fire truck in one corner.

Some days I think of him and miss him. I don't want him out of me so that I don't have to carry all that weight in my belly anymore. But I want to hold him. I want to see him. I want to snuggle with him. I want to see his little fingers and his little tues.

Some days I want to push him back up, so he won't come out for a while. Those days I am stressed out. When I don't know if I have everything for him, that I'll need. When I don't know if I have enought money for the month, or if he needs something. When I feel like everything is overwhelming me, I just want to keep him inside of me where he is safe.

But today is my due date, his due date. Happy Birthday little friend.