Birth and Babies

I found this in my inbox last night.  This sounds like an awesome idea!

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My LLL toddler group has been kicking around the idea of writing our
own kid’s book that would contain positive depictions of moms
breastfeeding. There are literally thousands of books on the market
depicting newborns, babies, baby animals, even baby monsters, with
bottles and pacifiers. There are very few books on the market
depicting moms breastfeeding in the normal course of the day. A few
books focus exclusively on the concept of breastfeeding. These are
typically heavy handed with a limited audience. Breastfeeding babies
and toddler adore these books, other families aren’t interested.

We are constantly looking for really good kids books where moms
happen to be breastfeeding in the picture. It just doesn’t exist.
While I haven’t read every single book on the market, it is
startlingly absent. I wrote to a users group of children’s book
illustrators to ask them why so many children’s books depict bottle
feeding of newborns and young babies. I got a huge response from
illustrators, most of whom were super frustrated with their
publishers! They said that the major publishing houses forbid the
depiction of breastfeeding, male nipples as in dads in the swimming
pool, ancient greeks in togas, Native Americans in buckskin… AND
ALSO, NO UDDERS ON COWS. This tipped me over the edge! No UDDERS!

My LLL group, of 96 moms, has put together a project proposal to an
entrepreneurial website called ideablob.com. This is an online
community of entrepreneurs. Anyone in the world can propose any
project or business idea, no matter how small or unusual. Thousands
of people visit the site and vote for different ideas. The idea with
the most votes is awarded $10,000 to implement their idea.

At the moment, our project idea — a book for children containing
positive depictions of breastfeeding — is among the top ranked. We
have one week left to garner the votes needed to earn the $10,000
grant. We’ve sent the idea around the world and are in the top
scorers for the runoff. Would you be willing to vote for my project?
What would be very helpful would be for you to forward this message
to your friends, asking them to vote, as well. You do need to
register for the site but they are very respectful about not
bombarding you with messages…

Here is the web page:
http://www.ideablob.com

Thanks for your help, everyone! We really do have a chance to win,
but everyone’s gotta vote.

Lunch Bunch, a social parent/child group, meets on the 2nd Thursday of the Month and is FREE and open to ALL FAMILIES

MSU Extension Conference Room, 963 S. Raisinville Rd., 10:30am - noon

This months topic: “Play, Learning and Household Fun!”

Learn about different types of play and easy creative games/projects your family can do with item you have around the house. No lunch is provided, but families are encouraged to bring a sack lunch. Lunch Bunch is a breastfeeding-friendly environment (although breastfeeding is not required).

Brought to you by the Monroe County Breastfeeding Collaborative

Each month we have different discussion topics/guest speakers depending on parent interests. For more info, call Stephanie Garrett at 734-240-7946

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I wanted to share with you some links to free sewing patterns online.  Most of the links also have a section for cross stitching, knitting, crocheting, etc. with free patterns also.  Sewing can be a great way to satisfy that ‘nesting’ instinct and if you buy your fabric cheap enough it can be a great way to save money while sewing clothes, toys, and more for your baby!  I’ll give you the link to my latest posting on my homesteading blog here.

http://www.blogsmonroe.com/homemaking/2008/06/26/free-sewing-patterns/

Advantages & Disadvantages to having baby at home

Studies have shown that homebirth is safe for low risk pregnant women and their unborn babies.  There are many reasons couples choose to have their babies at home.  These days, homebirth is becoming increasingly popular!  Midwives are trained to handle many complications, but they are also trained to detect problems before they become serious so they can transport or call for help if needed.

Advantages for Baby

• Baby is more likely to be born vaginally, without breathing difficulties often cause my cesarean birth or anesthesia.
• Less likelihood of infection.
  • Why? Fewer, if any, vaginal exams and intervention involving the vagina are performed on mom, which can introduce bacteria and cause an infection.   As well, babies are kept with them other after birth and not transported to a nursery, where illness can also be spread.
• Baby’s experience at birth can be recognized and made as gentle as possible. 
  • Low lighting, low voices, birth happening slowly and naturally without force, etc.
  • Routine procedures such as deep suctioning, Vitamin K shot, scrubbing the baby, etc. can be avoided.
• The mother-infant bond is allowed to occur naturally as the baby never leaves mom, can nurse immediately and can have constant skin-to-skin contact with mom as long as needed.
  
  

Advantages for Mom

• Mom is not subject to routine procedures such as electronic fetal monitoring, IV’s, bed or food restrictions.
• Mom can eat, walk freely and give birth physiologically – her body works with nature.  She can birth in a position she feels is best – not on her back unless she chooses, which is a traditional hospital birthing position.
• Mom will have continuity of care with her attendants, increasing safety.
• Mom and labor will be evaluated on an individual basis.  She won’t be sacrificed to protocols or be forced to labor on a time limit.
• Mom is much more likely to birth naturally, without medication, episiotomy, instrumental or cesarean delivery.
• Mom will be more comfortable in her own surroundings.
• There is less chance for infection.
• No traveling to/from a hospital while in labor or recovering from birth.
• Mom won’t be woken up while sleeping for the routine checks done after delivery, and the frequent removal of her infant for weighing and temperature taking, etc.
• Postpartum depression is less common  since there is no seperation.

Advantages for the family

• Husbands are in their own home and can participate as fully as they want.  Many times, the husband is encouraged to catch his baby!
• Other children can be present.
• Other family and friends can be present during labor and birth if requested.
• Life can go on as usual, as much as possible, during labor.  Meals can be prepared for everyone, the family is in their own surrounding and knows the location of anything they may need, and can move from room to room, or alternate between indoor and outdoor settings as they please.

Disadvantages

• A homebirth requires a higher level of responsibility and effort from the family
• Homebirth is not often supported by society or doctors
• Homebirth is not often covered by insurance, requiring the family to pay out of pocket or in some cases barter services
• Access to some emergency equipment can be delayed and require transport.

Minimizing the risk

Birth at home, as in a hospital, carries some degree of risk.  These risks can be minimized by the following ways:

·         Following good nutrition with a quality vitamin designed for pregnant women.

·         Do not smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs.

·         Get good prenatal care

·         Find a good midwife who is skilled, confident and experienced with birth at home.

·         Inform yourself about pregnancy, birth and postpartum through reading, childbirth and new parent classes, videos, and asking questions.

·         Make sure you have all the supplies you will need at home well before your estimated delivery date.

·         Make sure you don’t have any problems or complications that could put you at risk during a homebirth. 

·         Make sure your baby is in a favorable position (head down, unless your midwife is very experienced with breech births)

·         Have adequate support during labor, birth, and postpartum.

·         Have an emergency back up, with numbers and clear directions posted by the phone and/or in easily found areas such as your refrigerator or family message board.

Certainly I think by now we all know that for most mothers and babies, breastfeeding is the most complete nutrition and healthiest form of free babyfood anywhere.  It can take some getting used to, it may take a lot of practice and time to get it right - but in the end, its worth it.

What we may not realise, is that we are subjecting our babies to problems if we choose not to breastfeed.  Here is part of an article I hand out in my classes, which shows some of these side effects and how they can effect a non-breastfed child its whole life!

Gastrointestinal Illness   At least 400 infants die annually in the United States from diarrheal disease; an estimated 250-300 of these deaths are attributed to not being breastfed.  Other gastrointestinal disorders such as
Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and celiac  are minimized  in people who were breastfed.

Respiratory Illness. Between 500 and 600 infants die annually in the United States from acute respiratory disease attributed to not being breastfed. The risk of fatal or nonfatal respiratory infections is two- to fivefold higher among
formula fed infants.

Otitis Media occurs more frequently in infants who are not breastfed. Bacteremia and Meningitis  There is a fourfold higher risk of bacteremia and meningitis among babies who are not breast-fed.

Juvenile Diabetes  More than 100 studies indicate that breast-feeding can delay or prevent the onset of diabetes in  children said Dr Cadwell.

Malignant Lymphomas  A six- to eightfold increase in the risk for developing lymphomas among children younger than 15 years has been found in children who were not breastfed for at least 6 months.

Breast Cancer  Having been breastfed as a child  reduces breast cancer risk in women over 40 by more than 25%.

Pediatric News 33(1):37, 1999

Some great articles on health, nutrition and more for pregnant and nursing moms, as well as women in general!  Spend some time on this gem of a site, you’ll be sure to learn a LOT!

Everyone has their own personal favorite when it comes to babywearing.  Here are some of mine and some observations I have picked up over the years.

• Slings: One of the most versatile carriers around.  The sling will carry your newborn up to toddlers in a variety of comfortable positions.  The sling takes a little practice to learn how to adjust and snug your baby up to you, but once you have the idea they are very easy to use.  Most are very adjustable, allowing you the option to adjust the side rails and the depth of the sling.  You can nurse hands free and the tail doubles as a light cover to shield your baby from the weather or keep yourself covered while nursing.
• Wraps: Wraps are probably THE most versatile.  I can’t even count the carriers (or positions) you can use with a wrap on BOTH of my hands.  These work great for newborns up to toddlers.  The only downsides to wraps are their length (often around 5 yards), and the learning curve.  It takes a lot of practice to learn a few carries and it takes a lot of practice to be able to wrap your baby in a store or in a parking lot without having the ends touch the dirty ground… But their versatility outweighs any downsides, I think!  Using a wrap I find my baby is MOST secure on my body, and there is no hardware to worry about.  I can also wrap my baby so snugly that he or she can fall asleep and their head is so supported that I could essentially do jumping jacks and my baby would never move.  It’s not too tight - just very snug and conforms to their little bodies.
• Mei Tai: These are great carriers to use if you want easy.  They’re essentially a square peice of fabric with straps that you use to tie your baby on.  Your child sits on the square, which becomes a seat and back.  The straps usually criss cross under your baby’s bum and between his or her legs to create a no-slip chair.  Then two other straps typically go under your baby’s arms and the back of the ’seat’ reaches to their armpits.  I have seen mei tai’s that have headrests for young babies and for toddlers who fall asleep, but I’ve never used them.  I prefer the mei tai for a baby who has good head control, when it’s not close to naptime so there is no worry of a baby or child falling asleep without head support.  These are great to use on your front or back (or even side) and very user friendly!

Alright future and current moms-to-be listen up: Caffiene (as little as two cups of coffee per day!) can double your miscarriage risk.  Caffiene is counted in pop, tea, and other drinks too, of course.  We’ve always known that lots of caffiene is no good but now we’re faced with: should we stick with a little in moderation, or stop all together?  Certainly, to be on the safer side because caffiene is no good for anyones body, stopping intake all together is great.  But for some pregnant moms, drinks and food that contain caffiene are sometimes ‘comfort foods or drinks’ or an object of a craving.

If you can stand it, nix the caffiene all together!  If you are trying to concieve, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to detox before you get pregnant.  Usually it’s a lot easier to stop bad habits before you become pregnant, so if stopping caffiene intake is something you want to do, your best bet might be to stop it before you do get that positive pregnancy test!

Read more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22718279/

The MayaWrap site has a great tutorial on how to make your OWN ring slings.  This looks VERY easy. 

I’ll be trying this also!

While visiting a friend today, she showed me how to use a baby wrap.  I’m used to slings, mei tai’s and baby carriers. My favorite for a young baby is the Maya Wrap (it’s a ring sling) because it’s so versatile and supportive for those squirmy and weak babies.  My favorite for older babies and toddlers is my Ellaroo mei tai. 

Anyway, a wrap is just a loooong peice of fabric.  My friend mentioned that if you buy 5 yards of fabric and cut it in half down the length, you’ll have two wraps.  Find a fabric that doesn’t unravel and you wont’ have to sew a bit.  Or you can use other fabrics and serge or hem the edges.  Fleece is great for a winter wrap, a stretchy fabric is nice for young, light weight babies and a less stretchy fabric is better for older babies.  You essentially ’strap’ your baby to your body by wrapping the wrap in different ways to be supportive and safe for your baby, and comfortable for yourself.

She showed me how to tie my 5 month old and mentioned there are a TON of ways you can tie your baby on.  When I got home, I googled it and found this site that illustrates many more ways to wrap your baby.