Enjoy!
http://www.ted.com/talks/
Monday, January 24, 2011
Must View for Parents To Be and New Parents
This is a great talk from the founders of babble.com. Super fun and insightful. Great for parents to be and new parents.
Enjoy!
http://www.ted.com/talks/rufus_griscom_alisa_volkman_let_s_talk_parenting_taboos.html
Enjoy!
http://www.ted.com/talks/
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Lots of Vitamin D
Today was another warm and perfect day in San Diego. Tallulah and I sat outside and enjoyed the sunny day. It got me thinking about Vitamin D. The moment Tallulah was born, her pediatrician suggested I give her Vitamin D drops. Really? What for? It seems babies and children are not getting enough sunlight. I thought that was so depressing. Are children really not outside enough that they need Vitamin D drops? My advice is to think before you give them the Vitamin D drops. Come on Natural Mommies, get your babies outside. It is good for them and you. Just remember a sun hat and sunscreen (6 months or older)!
Here is a great article on Vitamin D.
http://mothering.com/breastfeeding/sunlight-deficiency-review-literature?page=0,0#
Here is my picture of the day. While I look tired (Does that ever go away?), I think we look like a good mama and baby combo, except that she looks just like papa.
Let the sunshine in!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Adventures of Baby Food
My little girl, Tallulah is 6 1/2 months old and last week we started her on solids. We were so excited for this journey to begin. We started simple with yummy sweet potatoes which I made myself. I have to admit, they came out perfect and so tasty! If you do not have the book, "Organically Raised, Conscious Cooking for Babies and Toddlers" by Anni Daulter, it is a must have for making baby food plus the book is beautifully done.
Sweet potatoes were a hit. Tallulah gobbled them up and smiled with her little orange smile. So after a couple days of sweet potatoes, to make sure there were no allergies, it was time to try something new. I thought applesauce sounded awesome and tasty so that was the next step.
However, I forgot that I needed to make it so Tuesday morning, I was rushing to make fresh applesauce and forgot to focus and say Anni Daulter's mantra "Every meal prepared in the kitchen will be done with love, joy and the intention of feeding my family in body, mind and spirit" which I love but instead I was rushing to get the food prepared and then have time to feed Tallulah and then go to work. It became a mess!
Finally, I was happy to finish them and get Tallulah all set up for her next new meal. My husband and I got her all excited and she was smacking her lips with eagerness. We spooned up the applesauce and she stuck her tongue out long so she could get a good taste. What happened next? Tallulah made a yuck sour face! I could tell she was looking at me saying "This is not sweet potatoes mama". How could she not like it? It was so tasty. My husband tried and same yuck sour face. One more try, I thought and when it went into her mouth, she paused and then actually gagged a bit as if she was using a line from a movie saying "I threw up a little in my mouth". Apples were a no go. I realize now that they were probably not sweet enough and are a little acidic. That is ok. In about a month, we will try again!
So what was next you ask? Bananas! Those have been a success but nothing seems to compete with the sweet potatoes.
All I can say is that making your own fresh baby food is so worth it. I believe a positive attitude makes the food taste better. That applesauce was made with frustration and not enough patience and that is why I got a "yuck sour" face.
My advice, take time to enjoy your baby and take pleasure in making beautiful baby food. It is super easy and super satisfying to you and your baby.
I ask you to take a 30 day challenge!! Purchase Anni Daulter's fantastic book and try making your baby food for 30 days. I promise you will find it easy and so much better then jarred food!
http://www.organicallyraisedcookbook.com/home
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Gluten Free Pregnancy
This is a great site for those of you with gluten allergies and pregnant!
This one is for you Kelli!
glutenfreepregnancy.blogspot.com
This one is for you Kelli!
glutenfreepregnancy.blogspot.com
Monday, January 10, 2011
To be or not to be a vegetarian
I love this so much!! We have been getting ready to start our baby girl on solids and we plan to raise her as a vegetarian. This was written so beautifully!! Good for this mom!
Some people do not realize that being vegetarian is a cause and a belief, just like a religion. Many people say that I should let my child choose if they want to be a vegetarian and I totally agree. When she is educated enough to make that decision for herself then I will empower her to do so. Many people have strong feelings about raising their child with their religion and often do not give their child a choice in that, it is no different for our beliefs in being vegetarian. Think of it as our religion.
As long as we do our best to educate our child and help her make the best choices possible, that is all we can hope for! Now go fix yourself some tofu tacos!
http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2011/01/10/raising-a-vegetarian-a-matter-of-choice/
Some people do not realize that being vegetarian is a cause and a belief, just like a religion. Many people say that I should let my child choose if they want to be a vegetarian and I totally agree. When she is educated enough to make that decision for herself then I will empower her to do so. Many people have strong feelings about raising their child with their religion and often do not give their child a choice in that, it is no different for our beliefs in being vegetarian. Think of it as our religion.
As long as we do our best to educate our child and help her make the best choices possible, that is all we can hope for! Now go fix yourself some tofu tacos!
http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2011/01/10/raising-a-vegetarian-a-matter-of-choice/
Babymoon
This is a great take on a babymoon. Everyone uses that term as a trip between father and mother to be but this is a great blog on a real idea of a "babymoon".
http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2011/01/07/the-benefits-of-a-babymoon/
http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2011/01/07/the-benefits-of-a-babymoon/
Saturday, January 8, 2011
My Birth Story
The other day at work we were all talking about birth and many of us were sharing our stories since we have many pregnant women at work. It made me reflect on my birth story which I think is important to share. I think a woman's birth experience is a huge part of their life and should be embraced no matter how the situation ends up. The thing about birth is no matter how much you plan or how much you envision a certain type of birth, it can take a 360 on you and you can end up with a birth you never expected.
My story is just that. I had my birth all picked out. I was going to have a natural birth at the Best Start Birth Center. It was a beautiful place that felt like a home and full of amazing midwifes and stories of many heroic births. I did not want a hospital birth. My husband and I felt that was not the right fit for us and our baby. I believed my body was made to give birth naturally and I was going to do my best to make that happen. I have nothing against women that choose to have a hospital birth or pain medication or even planned c-sections. A woman's birth is sacred and should be done how they wish. I have always wanted to try for natural birth so my heart was set on it.
All was going great until I hit my 34th week. My blood pressure was starting to creep up and there was concern I could have pre-eclampsia. My mother had it when she was pregnant with me and while they say it is not hereditary, it seemed I was heading down that road. The weird part was that the signs usually start earlier, signs of high blood pressure, protein in urine, excessive wight gain but I was only having high blood pressure close to birth. My high blood pressure was border line high, usually for pre-eclampsia, it is like 180/90 or something like that. My average was 135/79 to 150/85. As many of you may know, this often leads to a concern for the mother's health and the only way to stop it is to get the baby out which leads to a c-section which was the last thing I wanted.
The Birth Center kept an eye on me but at 38 weeks, they felt I was at risk and was more comfortable having me transfer to a doctor and having a hospital birth. You can imagine that I was devastated especially at 38 weeks. Thank goodness they refereed me to this amazing doctor, Dr. Cap, who was a supporter of natural birth. He reviewed my case and since I was still border line allowed me to try to go into labor naturally. As I waited for my baby to arrive, my blood pressure was slowly creeping up. The concern finally set in and it was decided to induce at 39 weeks, a few days before my due date.
To try and keep this short, I was already having mild contractions and they gave me cervidil to induce. I started having intense contractions right away and it did not feel normal. I was progressing to fast so they took the cervidil out and realized I could progress on my own. There was hope of me having a natural birth! I labored for 25 hours naturally and my little girl did not want to budge! After being exhausted and no longer being able to stand on my feet, I decided to get an epidural and pitocin and hoped this would move her along. I did that for another 6 hours, and she still did not budge. After all this, it seemed the conclusion was a c-section. I was disappointed but at that time I felt it was the right path to go on. Thank goodness for my wonderful husband, doula and doctor, they made the experience so wonderful.
Do not get me wrong, I hated having a c-section and I hated having pitocin. It made my baby's heart start racing and I had to take oxygen so I do regret that choice a bit but it was the best thing to do at the time.
I was proud of myself for laboring as long as I did and know that I could have done it without any medications if I would have had the chance. I hope to try again in my next birth.
I wanted so much to have a natural birth but I am thankful that I had a wonderful birth experience, even though it went a different direction then I had hoped and in the end I had the most amazing little girl.
The point of all this, is to remember to be flexible in your birth and in life. I try to live the most natural life possible but sometimes you are thrown a curve and you have to make choices that you did not anticipate. The important thing is to always remember that you will have something wonderful in the end!
Thanks for reading and I hope your birth is everything you hoped for!
My story is just that. I had my birth all picked out. I was going to have a natural birth at the Best Start Birth Center. It was a beautiful place that felt like a home and full of amazing midwifes and stories of many heroic births. I did not want a hospital birth. My husband and I felt that was not the right fit for us and our baby. I believed my body was made to give birth naturally and I was going to do my best to make that happen. I have nothing against women that choose to have a hospital birth or pain medication or even planned c-sections. A woman's birth is sacred and should be done how they wish. I have always wanted to try for natural birth so my heart was set on it.
All was going great until I hit my 34th week. My blood pressure was starting to creep up and there was concern I could have pre-eclampsia. My mother had it when she was pregnant with me and while they say it is not hereditary, it seemed I was heading down that road. The weird part was that the signs usually start earlier, signs of high blood pressure, protein in urine, excessive wight gain but I was only having high blood pressure close to birth. My high blood pressure was border line high, usually for pre-eclampsia, it is like 180/90 or something like that. My average was 135/79 to 150/85. As many of you may know, this often leads to a concern for the mother's health and the only way to stop it is to get the baby out which leads to a c-section which was the last thing I wanted.
The Birth Center kept an eye on me but at 38 weeks, they felt I was at risk and was more comfortable having me transfer to a doctor and having a hospital birth. You can imagine that I was devastated especially at 38 weeks. Thank goodness they refereed me to this amazing doctor, Dr. Cap, who was a supporter of natural birth. He reviewed my case and since I was still border line allowed me to try to go into labor naturally. As I waited for my baby to arrive, my blood pressure was slowly creeping up. The concern finally set in and it was decided to induce at 39 weeks, a few days before my due date.
To try and keep this short, I was already having mild contractions and they gave me cervidil to induce. I started having intense contractions right away and it did not feel normal. I was progressing to fast so they took the cervidil out and realized I could progress on my own. There was hope of me having a natural birth! I labored for 25 hours naturally and my little girl did not want to budge! After being exhausted and no longer being able to stand on my feet, I decided to get an epidural and pitocin and hoped this would move her along. I did that for another 6 hours, and she still did not budge. After all this, it seemed the conclusion was a c-section. I was disappointed but at that time I felt it was the right path to go on. Thank goodness for my wonderful husband, doula and doctor, they made the experience so wonderful.
Do not get me wrong, I hated having a c-section and I hated having pitocin. It made my baby's heart start racing and I had to take oxygen so I do regret that choice a bit but it was the best thing to do at the time.
I was proud of myself for laboring as long as I did and know that I could have done it without any medications if I would have had the chance. I hope to try again in my next birth.
I wanted so much to have a natural birth but I am thankful that I had a wonderful birth experience, even though it went a different direction then I had hoped and in the end I had the most amazing little girl.
The point of all this, is to remember to be flexible in your birth and in life. I try to live the most natural life possible but sometimes you are thrown a curve and you have to make choices that you did not anticipate. The important thing is to always remember that you will have something wonderful in the end!
Thanks for reading and I hope your birth is everything you hoped for!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Great support site for natural mommys!
Finding support as a natural mommy is so important. Especially when you feel like the world around you does not always make it easy to be a natural mommy!
http://naturalmoms.ning.com/
http://naturalmoms.ning.com/
Monday, January 3, 2011
Welcome to Natural Mommy!!
Hi everyone and welcome to my blog, Natural Mommy!! This is the start of a new year and I am excited to start my first blog. Let me start by sharing a little bit about myself. I am a new mommy to a beautiful 6 month old little girl. I work in the natural health industry and I am very passionate about living a natural and healthy lifestyle. That means that I evaluate everything that I put in, on or around myself and my family. I believe that a healthy planet equals a healthy person so I strive to do my part to keep that balance.
I am sure many of you think that since I work in the natural health industry that I must work for a company that is super supportive of my mommyhood but let me assure you that is not totally correct. It is a corporate company like most others. My whole world changed once I had my daughter and going back to work was the last thing I wanted to do. I became amazed how unsupportive the work world is to mamas who want to be there for their new babies. We should be able to have the luxury of working from home or having on site child care, or a year off for baby leave or anything that would support the growth of our babies. I am disappointed that many natural industry companies are just like any other company when it comes to supporting a bond between parent and child. In California, you are given your three months off (if you are lucky you have vacation time to stay home longer) and expected to come back to work with eagerness but that is crazy!! All I want to do is be with my baby because that is what is natural for a mama! I realize some women want to be at work and that is ok but if a mama wants to stay home to be with her baby then she should be supported to be able to make that happen.
I kept getting frustrated with the idea of going back to work and was finding myself struggling as a natural mommy in a mainstream world so my husband told me to blog about it and that there would be others who felt this way and might want to hear my story. I realized he was right plus I have a lot of insight to the world of natural and have learned quickly what works for me and my baby.
This blog is going to be about how to cope with the mainstream world as a natural mommy. Sometimes I will tell you about how I am feeling or I may share a story or two. Sometimes I will give you my opinion on products I have tried or things I like. Whatever I do, I hope you will join me on this journey. I look forward to hearing about your families, your struggles and your successes as a natural mommy in this mainstream world! Most of all, I welcome your passion!
Happy new year mommies!! May it be a natural one!
I am sure many of you think that since I work in the natural health industry that I must work for a company that is super supportive of my mommyhood but let me assure you that is not totally correct. It is a corporate company like most others. My whole world changed once I had my daughter and going back to work was the last thing I wanted to do. I became amazed how unsupportive the work world is to mamas who want to be there for their new babies. We should be able to have the luxury of working from home or having on site child care, or a year off for baby leave or anything that would support the growth of our babies. I am disappointed that many natural industry companies are just like any other company when it comes to supporting a bond between parent and child. In California, you are given your three months off (if you are lucky you have vacation time to stay home longer) and expected to come back to work with eagerness but that is crazy!! All I want to do is be with my baby because that is what is natural for a mama! I realize some women want to be at work and that is ok but if a mama wants to stay home to be with her baby then she should be supported to be able to make that happen.
I kept getting frustrated with the idea of going back to work and was finding myself struggling as a natural mommy in a mainstream world so my husband told me to blog about it and that there would be others who felt this way and might want to hear my story. I realized he was right plus I have a lot of insight to the world of natural and have learned quickly what works for me and my baby.
This blog is going to be about how to cope with the mainstream world as a natural mommy. Sometimes I will tell you about how I am feeling or I may share a story or two. Sometimes I will give you my opinion on products I have tried or things I like. Whatever I do, I hope you will join me on this journey. I look forward to hearing about your families, your struggles and your successes as a natural mommy in this mainstream world! Most of all, I welcome your passion!
Happy new year mommies!! May it be a natural one!
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