Wordless Wednesday

Six Months

My Six Month Old!

This baby girl is 6 months old! Isn't that a fun age? She is so very interactive - smiling, babbling, playing with toys, learning, learning, learning. She loves her siblings, loves laughing at them and yelling at them if they aren't paying attention to her. She loves to explore the floor by scooting and rolling, and loves to see the world from the vantage point of her mama's arms.

But she's still very much a baby - nursing, cuddling, sleeping, sweet-smelling and dewey and soft. She sleeps in my arms all night and falls asleep to me nursing and rocking her. She still satisfies my desire for cuddling a small sweet creature. :)

It is so fun to have a girl again. I admit to joyfully choosing her clothes every day and changing them often. I admit to making her wear bows and headbands. I admit to enjoying the oohs and aahs she gets at the doctor's office or grocery store. Yes, she's my little dolly!

Yes, I love this sweet baby girl! I love saying her sweet name and I love her dimples and her smile and the way she watches me walk around the house with adoration and longing in her eyes. I love how happy she gets when I pick her up, how her eyes sparkle and she wiggles and laughs from joy. I love (most of the time!) that she prefers me to anyone else in the world.

These last 6 months have flown - literally flown! - by and having just celebrated Grace's 11th birthday I know how the years will fly by too. All too soon Clementine will be flying farther and farther afield, gaining her independence, and her desire to be near me at all times will fade. That is as it should be! but I will certainly miss these sweet, precious baby months.

I love you sweet, darling Clementine! You are my precious baby girl and I thank God for every moment with you.

Happy Birthday Grace!!

Eleven years ago today, I was at my parent's farm in WI on my baby's due date.
Eleven years ago today, I was helping my little sister get ready for prom.
Eleven years ago today, I finally realized I was in labor and needed to get to the hospital in St. Paul!
Eleven years ago today, I made it to the hospital and was already at a 10.
Eleven years ago today, I had an easy delivery of my first child, 6 pound 7 ounce 19 inch-long Grace Ann.
Eleven years ago today, I couldn't believe how beautiful she was, from the first moment of birth!
Eleven years ago today, I knew I loved my little Grace with all my heart and would forever more.

Babies!

Can't wait to go see this! When my mom emailed me the trailer for this several months ago, Moses and Judah were literally doing the exact same thing as the two little ones in the opening shot. Makes the point, doesn't it, that in some ways babies are the same everywhere in the world!

Recycled Wool Diaper Covers

Wool is a great material for covering cloth diapers. Besides being naturally anti-fungal, antibacterial and antimicrobial, warm in the winter and cool in the summer, easy to care for and durable enough to last through many babies, "wool can maintain three seemingly contradicting qualities simultaneously:"

First, a wool diaper cover is thermal - "it can store water vapour up to 35 per cent of its own dry weight yet it remains dry to touch and speeds up the body's own cooling system." (2) To attest to this fact, wool is most regularly suggested for night-time usage when leaks most often occur in abundance, although certainly can extend to everyday wear. Second, while absorbent, they still remain breathable, allowing for a maximum amount of circulation around baby's bum. This helps prevent diaper rash, but also alleviates the health concerns of trapped heat within a diapering system. Finally, wool contains natural lanolin which creates a natural waterproof barrier or repellancy. (From The Diaper Hyena, Diaper Covers: Why Wool's Cool)

(For more information about the amazing qualities of wool and why to use them in cloth diapering, read "Why Use Wool for Diaper Covers? Wool Science for Cloth Diapering Parents" by Marc Pehkonen!

I've made several wool diaper covers for my babes and love them, especially to prevent leaks at night. By felting, sewing and "lanolizing" old thrift store sweaters, wool covers can be affordable and fun. (Here's one pattern I've used.)

You can find more info on cloth diaper websites and discussion forums!

Here's one of my first attempts on baby Moses:

Richard loves this gray one...

...but I love this newest creation!

She'll be wearing this and a little t-shirt all summer!

Grandma and Grandpa

My parents have been such a wonderful, special part of our kids' lives. I can't even say enough about them! They are about the greatest grandparents you could ever want. Here's some pictures of them with their sweet grandkids:

Grandpa and Grandma with baby Grace

Fishing trip in Canada

Dolls from Grandma!

Motorcycling with Grandpa

A birthday party (sorry about this one, Dad. But it's sweet)

Grandma and Moses

Grandpa with Moses and Grace at their Blessing.

Blessing Grace

With Baby Judah

Judah and Grandpa and the Farm

At the Farm

Grandma with Clementine

Grandma reading to her grandsons (on her lap is my nephew Jesse) at Christmastime.

Celebrating Judah's 2nd birthday!



















Yes, they are wonderful and we are blessed!

One funny thing I wanted to share is what each child has called Grandma and Grandpa.

Grace:
Grandma = Hammah
Grandpa = Bubbah

Moses:
Grandma = Minnah
Grandpa = Biddah

Judah:
Grandma = Eemah
Grandpa = Peepah

I think this is so funny! Grace and Moses eventually learned to say "Grandma" and "Grandpa", and I'm sure Judah will too. But it's been fun hearing each of them come up with their own toddler version. My mom is usually the one to pick up on the names when they first start using them. I wonder what Clementine will say...

Epidurals

I have a theory about epidurals. I want to test it out.

But first, because this can be somewhat of a sensitive topic, I want to say upfront that I don't believe women who get epidurals are wimps or sissies or somehow not as tough as women who have drug-free births. I don't believe that women who don't get an epidural are necessarily incredibly tough or that they are weird pain junkies who love suffering.

I have given birth 5 times and each labor has been different. Some easier than others, some that were horribly painful. I have never had an epidural but that doesn't mean I didn't want one at various times! However between my desire to have drug-free births and my horror at the idea of a needle going into my spinal column, and other various factors, I've been able to avoid it. (Having a homebirth was the best way to avoid drugs, because they are simply not available. But that's another post.)

Okay, so here's what I've been pondering:

Why is labor such horrible suffering for many women that they feel like they need an epidural? I don't think it's because they're wimps. I think that their labors are not being supported in a way that helps them manage the pain and avoid drugs, and that these factors, more than the pain of labor, make women feel like they need an epidural.

For instance, if you have had an epidural in labor, how many of these other things were also true:

• Your labor was augmented with Pitocin (i.e. you were induced or had drugs at some point to speed up your labor).
• You did not have a doula or trained labor support person with you (NOT your husband or mother!)
• You had an I.V. or fetal monitor on and had to lay in bed during labor - i.e. you were not able to walk around, squat, dance or in other ways MOVE.
• You were not allowed to eat or drink in labor.
• You felt uncomfortable/scared/bothered etc. by the number of strange people coming and going from your room, the bright lights, the sounds of other women screaming bloody murder, rude nurses/doctors, etc.
• You did not have access to a bathtub, shower or birth tub.
• You had to push while lying on your back.

I would imagine the majority of you would answer yes to quite a few of those! Most of all the Pitocin one. (I've had a Pit induced labor, ladies, and I know how it can feel! It is complete insanity, NOT the way a woman's body was made to labor, and personally I think it's cruel to give any woman Pitocin without also giving her an epidural at the same time. Letting labor follow it's own timeline without messing it up with drugs would be the #1 way to avoid an epidural!!)

So my point is that I think most of the women who end up with epidurals, especially those who originally wanted to avoid it or at least try to make it through labor without one, have these factors also involved. If you same women had

• No Pitocin augmenting your labor
• A trained doula or labor support person with you through your whole labor
• Were not tied down to a bed with monitors and IV lines but able to move around freely
• Encouraged to eat and drink throughout your labor to keep your strength up and stay well-hydrated
• Had only people you knew and trusted with you during your labor and an calm, quiet, non-medical atmosphere (okay, this really only happens in out-of-hospital births, but the closer you can get to it in the hospital the better!)
• Access to water to labor in, be it a tub, shower or birthtub, and
• Were able to push in an upright or semi-upright position like squatting, hands-and-knees, side-lying etc.,

I betcha you would not have *needed* an epidural. Yes, you would still have had times of intense pain, but with a well-supported labor, like described above, the pain is manageable and all part of the work of giving birth! It is not suffering!!

I do want to mention here that I know in some cases women have well-supported labors that still don't go well and drag on for 24, 30, 36 hours and more. Sometimes babies are malopositioned or are very big and labor does not progress. Situations like these are not normal labor and they certainly call for the appropriate use of pain relieving drugs! This is when the normal, helpful pain of childbirth truly does turn into suffering, despite using all of the above methods.

One other factor that I didn't mention above because it's much more abstract but equally as powerful is FEAR. I think we have lost a sense of birth as being normal, natural, and doable and instead view it with terror as an emergency or something we need to be saved from. Fear increases the sensation of pain. So a woman who heads into labor terrified will most likely feel more pain than a woman who is calm and prepared, and therefore will probably feel the need for an epidural.

Lastly, if after reading this you're saying, "Yeah, but why are we even talking about avoiding epidurals? What's the big deal? Isn't pain relief GOOD? Why in the world would I want to feel pain during labor anyway?" I would point you to

Reported Side Effects of Epidurals
The Trade-Offs of Epidurals (excerpted from The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer)

In short, we should want to avoid epidurals because they

• slow labor
• increase the use of Pitocin (oxytocin)
• increase the likelihood of instrumental delivery (vacuum/forcepts) and cesarean delivery, especially in first-time mamas
• cause complications, including life-threatening complications, even with experienced anesthetists and despite taking proper precautions
• cause fevers, which increases the likelihood of a baby needing to be separated from the mother and subjected to diagnostic testing
• may cause long-term and even chronic problems
• "get" to the baby, making both mother and baby under the influence of drugs during their first hours together
• cause profound disturbances in fetal heart rate
• may have adverse effects on the newborn

among other things!

The value of labor pain is something I'll save for a later post. :)

I hope this hasn't come across as snarky or stuck-up. I am really interested in this and would love to hear from you about your thoughts. Improving birth is something I think is really important and I think that starts with women becoming educated and being supported through pregnancy, birth and postpartum!

Tutu Cute!

I got this boutique tutu from Swap Mamas! Ain't she cute?

Judah's Birthday, Clementine's Dedication

This was over a month ago now... I'm a little behind in posting stuff about our lives! But one weekend in February 2010 was very special for us. On Friday it was Judah's 2nd birthday, on Saturday we dedicated Clementine at church, and on Sunday our nephew and godson Jesse was dedicated! It was a weekend full of thanks for the sweet children in our lives.

Here's a few pics:

Judah had a little trouble figuring out how to blow out his candle,
but he finally got it!

The sprinkles were his favorite.

Checking out his new whale.
And did you know that Play-doh comes in 24 different colors??

The dress Clementine wore for her dedication was mine when I was a baby and my sister wore it too, so it was really special to have her wear it. I guess it's an heirloom now. :)