I typically do like to finish the bulk of my shopping before Thanksgiving. But usually I still have the boys and Rob to shop for.
Well, thanks to some great friends, I 95% finished shopping for everyone by Monday. Then yesterday another great friend watched B. while I wrapped everything I have bought. I didn’t put tags on anything, rather I wrote numbers on them and have a list with what the numbers are and who they are for. Then I hid them pretty well in my closet, way up high.
All I can say in regards to presents, is it is so much easier to buy things for a 4 year old than an 11 year old.
Not only that, but I have ordered my Christmas Cards and just finished writing our Christmas letter and will print those today. Maybe I will do the labels for the cards too?
Seriously, I am worried, when will I crash? What has possessed me? What am I going to do in December?
Oh, wait!
I am in charge of designing and printing the family calendar.
Decorating a Gingerbread house and a Gingerbread Train.
Decorating our real house.
I guess I will stay busy.
I will say that one very inspirational find I have is a new Christmas CD! Every year for Sing Noel Victoria writes a Christmas song for the concert. They are always my favorite, but when we get the CD of the concert, it is always hard to hear either the singer or the pianist.
So I was THRILLED to hear she produced a CD of her songs. All About the Baby.
I got it on Sunday and I LOVE it. I haven’t found a Christmas CD I love since Harry Connick Jr Christmas CD, which came out in 1993. Maybe this new CD is what has inspired my Christmas Preparations? (Here is a link to my favorite song on the CD)
I think in my Christmas Frenzy I shall do a give away! So if you want to win a copy of All About the Baby leave a comment. I will pick a winner December 1st.
I am working on my first Breastfeeding Class that I will be teaching in a few weeks. It made me want to find my favorite Breastfeeding Pictures of Bryson and I. (Carson and Devon’s aren’t digital and would require too much work to share! Maybe one day.)
I say that half kidding. Sometimes birth can be complicated and more help is needed. But often when births go fast like this, they are problem free and you don’t need anyone more than a calm soul to bring you a towel!
One great thing about this story is it was a Mom planning her 4th cesarean, so she had never had a vaginal birth before. She had a surprise HBA3C! (Home Birth After 3 Cesareans)
Enjoy this great story of how easy birth can sometimes be!
It was life changing. It was scary. It was not the ideal start for my sons life.
I had been on bedrest for Preterm Labor from 25 weeks. I figure I bought him 9 extra weeks, with the sacrifice of staying in bed, taking different pills and praying.
Devon was born at 34 weeks. He was 4 pounds 3 ounces.
He only had to stay in the NICU for 12 days.
It felt so much longer. But in comparison to what some preemies go through it was very little.
What can you do to help prevent prematurity?
Take care of yourself.
Eat well.
Get prenatal care.
Drink a lot of water.
Pay attention to your body and baby.
If you have more than 4 Braxton Hicks and hour, call your care provider.
If baby’s movements decrease dramatically, call your care provider.
TRUST your intuition! If you feel something is wrong, insist you be seen! (My friend pregnant with twins, suspected something was up at 25 weeks. The OB blew her off, so finally she lied and said she had some bleeding. So they had her come in and found she was 4cm dilated and they had her on bedrest in the hospital, where she was able to go a few more weeks.
Do NOT get induced before 40 weeks (unless mom or baby is at risk) So many babies that are preemies in the last few years were INDUCED! Due dates are just guesstimates. They can be off a few weeks. So if a mom gets induced at 37 weeks, she may have a 34 week gestation baby.
My boys (age 11 and 9) love to watch reruns of Get Smart. Well, last night they saw the show where agent 99 had twins. Thing 2 (my 9 year old) said, “I am pretty sure they were born vaginally. The only bummer is that she doesn’t breastfeed them, they get formula.”
I love that he noticed and that he thinks it is a bummer. He will be a great husband one day.
This is something that no one talks about, it is as if it doesn’t exist, until you get it. Then it is HUGE to you, but still isn’t imporant to anyone else.
Here is my experience with PUPPS, along with great links and what I felt helped.
A mom recently shared she used Accupuncture to help with her PUPPS.
My accupuncturist had never heard of PUPPP before, but
she saw that the worst areas were on my liver
“pathways” and she treated them this way:
First she used a seven star hammer- a tiny hammer with
little points on the end, and she tapped it all over
me- it’s a little uncomfortable, but not bad and she
doesn’t do it for long.
Then she performed “cupping” where she uses glass
cups with disposable plastic inserts that are
suctioned on to the worst spots and leaves them on for
only a few minutes. It’s feels like really strong
suction and you look like you’ve been attacked by an
octopus’ suckers for a few days- but it cleared up
after two treatments!
I have to keep seeing her every week or so to maintain this until the baby is born-but I am itch free and sleeping again.
One, more thing I wanted to add to my posting, is that
my accupuncturist treats pregnant women all the time -
it’s important to make sure the practitioner has lots
of experience, so you know they are cautious and the
treatments are effective.
Having said that- the other great thing about this
treatment is that there are no medicines or steroids
involved and it is completely natural, so you can feel
good about being treated this way.
I would definitely try this if I ever got PUPPS again. I ended up using medication, as I needed it to stay SANE. I typically avoid any medication while pregnant, so I am glad to know that accupuncture is an option to try.
I think this can be something that really makes or breaks a birth experience. Having an informed, supportive birth partner is so helpful for you to stay focused and believe in your ability to birth her baby the way you want to!
Often the Dad is a great choice for this role. Most dads want to be there when their baby is born and want to offer this kind of support for you. It is a giant responsibility and can be stressful for dad. Since they usually have very little birthing experience they may often not know what to expect. Often faltering in their ability to support mom in the most crucial moments (transition) I have had 2 students who have said, if I had a doula I wouldn’t have gotten that epidural (these were moms who didn’t wnat an epidural, but during transition they got nervous and the Dads picked up on their nerves and said, “Get the epidural.” If I had been their to calm DAD down, that would have helped Mom stay calm too.
This is why it is nice to have an additional support person. Having one extra person who knows what you want and who will also be with you throughout your birthing experience can help support both you and the Dad. You might want to choose another woman to join your birthing team, maybe your mom or sister or friend. Just think hard about their personality and if they will be supportive of what YOU want.
Another option is to hire a doula. This is a woman who is trained to do birth support. We know different comfort techniques. We know about normal birth and the pros and cons of different interventions. We can’t tell you what to do, but we can remind you of your choices and support you in what YOU want.
Sometimes Dads worry a doula will replace them. Here is a great link to help them reassure them that isn’t true. Do Doulas Replace Dads?
For Hypnobabies moms, having a doula who understands and supports hypno-moms is important. Some doulas find it hard to believe that moms can be comfortable throughout birth and will accidently undermine them with words and actions. A trained hypno-doula knows moms CAN be comfortable through birth with hypnosis and know the post hypnotic cues they can use to help mom stay focused and comfortable. If you don’t have a hypno-doula in your area, here is a link with suggestions on how to find a doula who can support you.
What about Single Moms who can’t afford a doula and don’t have a birth partner?
First off, see if you can find a doula in training, they often attend their first few births for free. You may also want to explain your situation to other doulas, they may be able to lower their prices for you.
Hypnobabies may be a great option. It is set up in a manner that can be used very easily for Single Moms. There are CDs that you listen to during pregnancy that help you learn and solidify your hypnosis tools. Then there are 3 CD tracks especially for your birthing day. You will have Kerry’s voice talking you through your whole birthing time. A Birth Partner in your ears, guiding you along the way!
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If you have a Hypnobabies Instructor teaching in your area, then take the live Hypnobabies course. If you don't then this is the BEST option for studying hypnosis for childbirth at home! If you buy from this link to Amazon, you get 2 extra CDs compared from buying it from the Hypnobabies site.
