I learned quite a bit from listening to this podcast from The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog on the effects of birth practices on breastfeeding. You’ll hear how epiduals, pitocin, cesareans, and IV fluid can interfere with milk production, latch, and more.
It is worth a listen!
Over the years, I’ve been privy to many birth playlists. Call me a birth music connoisseur.
I realize that birth music is a personal thing. However, I’ve noticed a few common features.
Lately I’m hearing Bon Iver, The Avett Brothers, Sigur Ros, Ray LaMontagne. And Norah Jones, Celine Dion, and Chris Tomlin show up pretty frequently. Many times, the mama picks songs with nostalgia from childhood lullabies to the high school prom.
What was/is on your birth playlist?
Now, my personal pick for the perfect labor song is this one:
If a woman doesn’t look like a Goddess during birth then someone isn’t treating her right.
–Ina May Gaskin
The Mindful Birth class begins on Sunday. Please sign up by Wednesday so I can order your materials. I’m excited about the couples who have signed up (hospital and home birthers, all first time parents-to-be). See you soon!
The next Hypnobabies class begins Jan. 2. Registration opened today. I only have two spaces remaining! Contact me for information on this series.
j_byers (at) bellsouth (dot) net.
Childbirth education is a gift to you and to your baby. Forget spending all that money on new nursery furniture and gear. Save some for preparation! Oh, and a doula. Don’t forget to hire one of those!
Norah goes to a classical program once a week.
This week, her teacher stepped out of the room and I was the only adult in the class. The kids wandered closer and closer to the door to peek outside. Finally, I told them to come back into the room.
“You’re not the boss of me.”
It was spoken matter-of-factly by one of the boys. As a statement. Not rudely or smugly.
My first reaction was, “Thank goodness Norah isn’t the only one who says that!”
My second reaction was, “Oh yes I am. I’m the grown-up.”
My third reaction was, “Well, technically, he is right.”
The teacher didn’t put me in charge. I’m not his mama. And as I thought more about the incident, I realized just how important his point was.
Norah’s school is in the middle of a renovation. There are construction workers everywhere. Let’s play, “what if?”
Now, of course, the kids are not left unsupervised but what if.
What if a construction worker walked into the gym while the kids were playing and said, “I need one of you to come with me. You there, little girl.”
Have I taught my little girl that she does not obey all grown-ups simply because they are grown-ups?
I certainly don’t want her to be an 18 yr old one day forced to a strip search by her employer.
My favorite book about teaching children to be safe is Gavin de Becker’s Protecting the Gift. He describes 12 tests to keep kids safe. Here is number three.
3) Kids know it is ok to REBUFF AND DEFY adults
Have I taught her this important lesson?
Good for the mama of this little boy who taught her son to assert himself!
I stopped to admire a baby bottle today. Yes, really. It sparked a post on bottles. Probably more than most of you want to know!
Bottles can be a confusing purchase for a pregnant mama. How many to buy? Which brand? Which size? Bottles make claims of being the most breastfeeding-friendly, the safest, or the one most likely to reduce colic.
Here is my personal opinion on bottles. Note: I’m not a baby bottle expert.
First, bottles are not evil. Realistically, most American babies will have a bottle at some point. The bottle might contain expressed breastmilk, donated breastmilk, or formula. These three liquids look alike. I know my readers would not, but it bears stating: Please do not judge a woman giving a bottle to a baby. Remember, it may not even be her baby.
How many? If you’re breastfeeding, you don’t need more than one or two bottles. Really. Breastmilk can stay out at room temperature for up to 10 hours. Formula cannot stay out for more than one hour. If you’re working full-time, the milk will be fine at room temp for 10 hours. Isn’t breastmilk amazing? I had to supplement with donated milk for almost every feeding and I was very comfortable with only two bottles. And then I broke one around 9 months and finished out the year with just one.
What size? Since you only need one or two, I would go ahead and buy an 8 or 9oz size.
Which nipple? There are many choices in nipples. I prefer silicone. Breastfed babies should always use a size 1 nipple.
What bottles are safe? The concerns with bottles are BPA, PVC, lead, and phthalates. The material choices are plastic, glass, and stainless steel. 
Safest plastic choices are usually made from polypropylene or polyethylene. Innobaby makes a silicone bottle. Green to Grow uses polyether sulphone (PES). There are many plastic choices. A few are Adiri, Born Free, and Thinkbaby. Born Free and Thinkbaby can also convert to sippy cups which saves some money. Always a good idea. Green to Grow also donates 1% of sales to environmental causes, donates new mamas in need, and claims to be socially responsible in their production.
Glass choices range from the tried-and-true EvenFlo to the fancier coddletime bottle with laboratory-grade glass and a silicone sleeve. I have butter-fingers so I require a silicone sleeve. I used Coddletime bottles with Cedar and still managed to break one. I was impressed that it broke in large peices and the silicone caught the glass (as promised).
And then there are the stainless steel bottles. These can be quite the eye-catcher. I love the earthlust bottle and the organicKidz. Both can convert to sippy cups. Earthlust claims to be ethically made (in China). The organicKidz bottle lids work as a measuring cup. Some benefits to stainless steel: it can keep liquids hot or cool longer and it will not break. However, you cannot microwave stainless steel. I often used the Medela quick steam microwave bags on my glass bottles. Still, these are dishwasher safe.
What are your favorites? What did I leave out?
This Saturday, Oct. 23, will be our last Blessingway before we break for the holidays. Join us in the community room at Earth Fare at 2pm.
We’ll hear first time mama, Holly, share her homebirth experience. And then our featured guest, licensed midwife Elizabeth Randolph, will discuss “Addicted to your Baby: the role of hormones in birth.”
Babies and children are welcome. This event is dad-friendly. It is usually a bit noisy with babes expressing their needs and wishes so expect an informal group. Blessingways are open to the public and free. Nobody is selling anything. They were created for new and expectant parents but we welcome birth professionals, those thinking about becoming pregnant, or experienced parents.
Hope to see you there!
The Mindful Birth Class will begin Nov. 7 and meet for six consecutive Sunday evenings. We’ll meet at an OB office in Greer from 5pm-7pm.
I need at least three couples to sign up in order to teach the class. Please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to register so I can order your materials.
I think you’ll love this class and learn so much! I know I love teaching it.
Email to register j_byers (at) bellsouth (dot) net.
Teaser of things you will learn:
And so much more!
Two more recent Norah moments:
In the middle of the thrift store
Norah (loudly): Mom, do you have any breastmilk.
Me: Um, well, yes. I guess. What?
Norah: This puppy is an orphan and he NEEDS some breastmilk. Will you nurse him?
Me: Can it wait?
Norah (lifting her shirt and nursing the stuffed dalmation herself): See, I tried but I don’t have any breastmilk.
Me (looking around at the people grinning and trying not to be obvious about eavesdropping): Fine. Ok. I’m nursing the puppy.
Norah: Thanks mom. You’re the greatest mom in the whole wide world!
Yep. I nurse in public.
In the grocery store:
Norah (whispering): Mom, mom! Do you see that boy? Over there?
Me: Yeah.
Norah: well, I waved at him like this. And he waved to me like this.
Me (distractedly): ok honey.
Norah: and then I swooped my hair like this. D’ya know why?
Me: Why?
Norah: To make him fall in love with me.
Now I’m paying attention. So fast she grows.
Thank you to A Little Bit of All of It for selecting this blog as a “One Lovely Blog Award” winner.
I will strive to live up to the loveliness!
Now I am honored to pass along the prize to 15 blogs I read. I picked only mamas I have met in real life. That isn’t part of the rules but it helped me narrow down my selection!
For those who choose to pass along the award to others, the rules are: accept the award on your blog and then select 15 lovely blogs to award.
Without further ado, my lovely award recipients are (in no particular order):
Hopefully a few of you ladies wll pass along the award to others.
Inexplicable Ways 
