5 of My Favorite Pregnancy Posts.

Wow. 

I was just looking back though some of my photos from my last pregnancy.

I didn't realize just how much my belly grew.

The human body is just so amazing.

I haven't done a Pregnancy Post in the last few months, so here are some Oldies but Goodies.


1. A Goddess, A Cow and A Cat

2. Perineal Massage

3. Eating Dates and Shorter Labor Times (seriously do it...all I know is that I went from having a 20 hour Labor with Kid #1 and a 5 hour Labor with Kid #2.)

4. Dealing with Heartburn During Pregnancy

5. My Post-Partum Physical Self-Care Check-list (I ended up doing most of these. It was a lot of getting everything ready before and keeping up with it BUT so worth it. I healed up SO MUCH faster than the first time.)

My Favorite Birthing Books.

Preparing for Child-birth and Motherhood is over-whelming (in many, many different ways). People prepare differently. I like classes. So, I took several classes during my first Pregnancy.

I am a Reader. So, I read. Lots and lots of books.

These are the books that were the most helpful for me, during both my Pregnancies. I re-read some of them (it's amazing how much you forget, especially about newborn care and the specifics of Breastfeeding), before my 2nd daughter was born. 

Hope this is helpful!

Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year

by Susun S. Weed

(The book is clunky and obviously self-published many moons ago. But, if you can get past the formatting issues, etc.., this is THE BOOK on herbs and women during Pre-conception, Pregnancy and Post-partum. Susun Weed is kinda out-there, but she knows her stuff).

Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality

by Laura A. Jana and Jennifer Shu

(A terrific resource. I will definitely be re-reading this book. It's so easy to focus on getting STUFF ready for the baby and preparing for Child-birth that sometimes you forget that you will be developing a new skill set...changing diapers, burping. putting to sleep, etc...).

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: Updated With New Material

by Ina May Gaskin

(A classic. Ina May is THE most famous Midwife in the country. She and The Farm Midwives are amazing inspirations, from the mid-70s until the early 2000's...when the book was updated...their practice had a 2-3% C-Section).

Spiritual Midwifery

by Ina May Gaskin

(Another classic. This book was originally written in the 1970's and you can definitely tell. The words "heavy" and "psychedelic" are thrown around a lot. It's a collection of Birth Stories told by women who had their babies at the Farm. The last section has some interesting information for Midwives and folks interested in learning more about Child-birth. The photos and drawing are a hoot).

Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers

by Nancy Mohrbacher and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett

(This book was highly recommended to me by one of the Lactation Consultants at the phenomenal Breastfeeding Center of Greater Washington. It's my favorite book on breastfeeding.

Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation

by Pam England and Rob Horowitz

(I don't think I understood how much I had absorbed of this book until I began re-reading it. Pam England is a Certified Nurse Midwife and began a teaching a series of classes with her husband back in the 1990's. The book is a little on the hippy side but I think it does a fantastic job of helping mentally prepare for Childbirth. I also adore the Art Therapy element of Birthing From Within, which I think it's particularly helpful for second-time Mamas).

Journey into Motherhood: Writing Your Way into Self-Discovery

by Leslie Kirk Campbell

(This book is a wonderful resource for women who love to write and are about to become Mothers for the first-time. There are tons of writing prompts in the book for every stage of your pregnancy and the first few months after. It is a terrific book for helping a woman deal with the emotional and mental shift that occurs when you have a baby.)




***Disclaimer: Amazon Affiliate Links are included in this post. Thank you!

Don't Forget Your Doula.

If there was only piece of advice I could give Pregnant Mamas about Childbirth, it would be hire a Doula.

It doesn't matter what kind of Birth you are planning, every woman should have a Doula.

You may have the most supportive partner in the World, but they can only do so much. A Doula has been there and done that and seen so much (my Doula had attended over 400 births by the time she had attended my first Birth). A Doula's only job is to support you!

A Doula is particularly important in the hospital because they can be your advocate when you are at your most vulnerable. A Doula is worth their weight in gold!

Here is an interesting piece on understanding statistically how having a Doula at your birth can positively affect your out-come.

During my first pregnancy, I interviewed several Doulas/Birth Assistants; it was one of our Midwives' requirements for a Home Birth.

It's essential that you meet with several and find someone whose personality fits your own. Listen to your Gut...is it a good fit? If not, keep interviewing...

I ended up going with a Doula I thought I felt comfortable with but then I started have a little doubt at the very end. The Universe works in mysterious ways because she ended up having to call in her substitute.

I met Gwen for the first time when I was completely naked and had been in active labor for 8 hours. She had a motherly presence, an awesome white streak in your black hair and didn't mind when I kept calling her "Glen" instead of "Gwen."

For the next 12 hours, she was my Rock, my Anchor, my Savior. I don't think I could have spent 2 1/2 hours pushing out a malpositioned 9 lb baby with no drugs, if she hadn't been by my side.

My husband was great.

My Midwife was great.

But, Gwen was my Life-line.

She showed my husband how to do a hip-press and took over when he needed a break. She was with me through every contraction, every breath...using a myriad of visualizations and mantras. She made sure I was constantly sipping enough water. She held my hand and got me through the most intense pain I have ever felt. She was just what I needed.

And, I was absolutely thrilled she was at my side for my second Birth.

I was only at the Birth Center for two hours before the baby was born, but Gwen was still a huge help. Even though my Labor was much faster and I had already had an un-medicated Birth...it didn't make any of the contractions easier. It was still really, really HARD WORK. Having her hold my hand and work through each contraction was AMAZING.

It was also wonderful having Gwen there the 4 hours afterwards, while I recovered.

Having her attend both my two very different Births was very special and very healing.

Doulas rock!

Buy your Maternity clothes second-hand, don't go on that expensive Baby-moon, scrimp on other things...but do yourself a huge favor and hire a Doula.

Student Doulas are ALWAYS  looking for more experience, so you may be able to hire one for free or for a reduced rate.

For tons more information and names of Doulas in your area, check out DONA International.

Baby Socks. The Gratitude Month.

One great think about De-cluttering your house?

Finding your favorite pair of Rainbow Baby Socks. My First Born wore them frequently for the first few months of her life. They were knee-socks on her and I melted each time we wore them. I was so sad when she finally over-grew them.

Not surprisingly, I put them in a special place and promptly forgot where I put them. I had given up hope of finding them in time for my Second Born to wear them.

I found them after My Freak-Out about organizing our Home. Amazing how that happens.

Luckily, Anala-Bears has dainty feet for her size. The socks may not be knee-highs on her but they still fit! I smile each time I have put them on her. And my heart is full of Gratitude for my Sweet Peas and their beautiful Baby feet that grow way too fast!

I Feel Sorry for Her.

Poor Bears. She's got a Boss Lady for a Big Sissy. Last Week marked the beginning of my girls squabbling.

The Honeymoon Period is over.

The Baby's favorite thing to do now is spy one of her Sissy's toys on the floor and crawl as fast as she can over to the toy and gleefully grab it. Nye immediately snatches the toy from out of Bears' hand and says, "my toy." This happens even if it actually is the Baby's toy.

Nye has started giving the Baby lectures on "danger." Nye's forehead becomes furrowed, she shakes her finger and her tone of voice turns very fierce. Do I look that mean when I redirect? Yikes, I hope not.

Last Thursday, Bears crawled into the Kitchen and started opening one of the cabinet drawers. Boss Lady was there in a flash and proceeded to ream her out for 2 straight minutes. Bears just laughed.

Here is a little video clip taken when Nye was telling Bears about the danger of cords. "The cords are not for YOU." I wasn't able to get a video of the actual two minute reprimand but in this video you can see the finger shake and watch Bears laugh.

I guess I should be Grateful to have a second pair of eyes watching our Little Explorer!

A Bear Crawl.

 

 

Here is our Baby Bears doing a funny little crawl, I've never seen her do before. Usually she does more of a crab crawl or a more traditional crawl. I have a feeling this one is going to say "Daddy" before saying "Mummy" (like her Sissy did), don't you think so?

 

I want to eat up this Baby of mine.

On The Move.

 

 

She's cautious. She's timid. She's not going far.

 

But, our Bright Eyes has begun to crawl. Things have gotten just a little bit more interesting here.

 

4 Months Old. Anala. (A Little Late).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dearest Bright Eyes,

 

You turned Four-Months-old on September 4th. I wrote this awhile ago, but am just getting around to posting this letter. Sorry. Better late than never!

 

You continue to light up our lives with your smile. Seriously kid, I dare anyone to resist that grin of yours.

 

You are at such an amazing stage right now. Happy, alert, curious, but not yet (too) mobile. And, WAY cuter than when you first popped out.

 

I could gnaw on your big ole cheeks for days. (Come to think of it, I do). Did you know you gained 4 lbs in 2 months? Yup, you weighed in at 17 lbs 4 oz at your 4 Month Appointment. You love Mama's milk and it shows.

 

The Pediatrician gave her thumbs up on introducing solid food to you (since we have no food allergies in the family). She seems to think that you will sleep longer at night with a bit of solid food in your belly. You've been grabbing at the food on our plates for weeks now, so you are definitely ready.

 

The first food we gave you was some mashed up bananas. Followed by avocado. You seemed ambivalent on the bananas, but chowed down on the avocados.

 

You are now officially a belly-sleeper. I don't even bother putting you on your back anymore because you immediately flip over. You started getting your legs stuck in the slats of the crib (because you wiggle around so much), so now we put you in a sleep sack.

 

When you are placed on the floor, within 3 minutes you have scooted around 360 degrees. It hysterical watching you (except when you get frustrated because you REALLY, REALLY want to crawl). You can get your bottom up in the air and your chest up separately. But, putting the two together is the challenge.

 

You love yanking out your monkey pacifier, staring hard at it and shoving it back in your mouth. Your Big Sissy doesn't appreciate you trying to grab her precious Milky or her hair. But, you put up with her touching your face constantly and tons of hugs, so I think it is only fair.

 

It's so pathetic when you start crying because you hear your Sissy crying (even if she is faking it).

 

You can transfer your toys from hand to hand and seem very pleased with this new skill. You can also sit up by yourself for up to 20 seconds now before you crash and burn.

 

Unlike your Sissy, you like to go to bed at a reasonable hour. You usually conk out at around 8:30 pm. I nurse you between 11 pm-12 am and then you wake up indignant and hungry at around 4 am. You usually let Mommy sleep until 7:30 am. You play for an hour or so and then it's time for your first nap. After that your schedule isn't too predictable. Your ideal play-time seems to be about 1 hour until you need some rest.

 

We have started sleep training you (yet another thing we've done different this time around). When you let out your sleepy screech, yawn or rub your eyes, we know it's time to put you in your crib. I sing a few rounds of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, pat you on the back and leave you. Sometimes it only takes a minute or so of you crying before you fall asleep. We've been doing this for a few weeks now. It's such a relief compared to putting your Sissy to sleep (she still takes up to 1/2 hour sometimes). Thanks for being such a Trooper.

 

Your family adores you. You light up our Lives, You Sweet Thing.

 

We love you so very, very much,

Mommy, Daddy and Big Sissy

 

 

 

On Getting Help.

One of biggest fears while I was pregnant was...."how to juggle a New-born and a Toddler by myself."

I knew how rough my recovery was the first time around and I was terrified of dealing with that again, on top of having a feisty Toddler (and a New Baby, of course). I knew Papa Bear would be home for 2 weeks tops and that my Mother-in-law and Mama would help out A LOT in the beginning.

But, what about when they went home and it was JUST ME. I was scared.

So, we dipped into our savings and hired a "Mother's Helper" for 8 weeks during the Summer.

It's was one of our BEST DECISIONS EVER.

We hired a lovely young woman, home from College. B lived 5 minutes away and just wanted a little extra cash for school. She worked 12 hours a week and was very flexible on how we spread out those 12 hours. Sometimes it was 2 days a week of 6 hours each and other weeks it was 3 days of 4 hours.

Because I was always there with her (except for when she would take Nye-Nye to the Play-ground), we paid her less than a Babysitter (since she had less responsibility). I didn't ask her to do any household chores, she literally was paid to just play with our Toddler.

She would take Nye-Nye out in our Back-yard (or the Play-ground), so the Kiddo got fresh air and plenty of Sunshine every day. And, lots of mosquitoes bites...going out to our Back-yard was something I couldn't do with a itty-bitty New-born (since our neighborhood was so infested with mosquitoes).

When it was Nye-Nye's Naptime, I would hand B the baby and I would go and put Nye-Nye to bed. Then, if I was lucky, I'd get an hour nap.

It was a life-safer...let me tell you!

We were all sad to see B go back to College in August. But, by that time I was comfortable taking care of both girls all the day by myself (and the baby had thankfully out-grown her colic).

I am feeling so very grateful we were able to hire a Mother's Helper - B definitely helped me stay sane this Summer!

Anala's Montessori Corner

 

 

 

Poor kid. She only gets a corner of a Bedroom to claim as her own. But, she doesn't seem to mind. Look at that concentration. Look at those smiles.

 

I think this may be my newest favorite part of our house. Sometimes it pays to be part of a long line of Pack Rats.

I borrowed the sheepskin from my Mama's house.

The mirror I took from the Master Bedroom (which originally came from my Mama's house).

 I bought the child's furniture piece from an auction for $2. My Sissy did a lovely job of painting it. And, I just added the crystal pulls from my favorite vintage store Ginger and Spice in Walkersville, MD. They cost $6 each. I moved the bookcase from one part of the room to this corner.

Since our Family is a bit Bird-crazy right now, I cut out a photography from an Audubon Calendar and put it in a frame I already had.

The "Gobbi Mobile" I made.

I am so loving this "Montessori infant room." (Even if it's just a corner).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twins? Maybe.

 

Let's play a game, okay? Try and guess whether each photo is of my First Born or my Baby.

 

Crazy.

 

Until I started going through old photos, I really had no clue JUST HOW MUCH these girls look alike.

 

I started showing Papa Bear some pictures and he thought I was showing all new photos of the Baby. If I didn't know the context clues, some of these photos would be impossible for me.

 

Scroll down to the end and I'll give you the answers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1-4) Big Sister

5) Little Sister (White Onesie)

6) Big Sister

7) Little Sister (Poppy Flower Romper)

8) Big Sister

9) Little Sister (Poppy Flower Romper)

10-11) Big Sister

12) Little Sister (Sheepskin Rug)

13-14) Big Sister

15) Little Sister

16) Big Sister

Happy 3 Months! Anala.

 

Dearest One,

You have some really cute outfits, I swear. Several pretty dresses you've never worn. But, by the time I had remembered to take some Birthday photos, it was starting to get darker and you had already spit-up on 4 outfits.

You are 3 months-old today.

Between your Sister teething and you teething, we had had a kind of rough day today. You were getting ready to take your last nap before bedtime and so that's why I couldn't coax out any smiles.

But, usually you are all smiles.

Everyone fights over who gets to hold your Sweet Self.

When you laugh out-loud, it makes us all giddy. We adore you.

 

 

This month you have been a Busy Little Beaver. Kicking so much and working out all your muscles. You rolled over for the first time at 12 weeks. You are enjoying Tummy-Time much more now. The Bell Mobile, Mama made for you, is your favorite activity, you can easily play with it for 20 minutes. You've gotten very good at grasping and grabbing objects (especially Mama's hair). You bring your hands together and stare at them in amazement.

You nurse every 3 or so hours during the day and every 4-5 hours at night. You have surprised us all by choosing to go to bed early like most babies (7:30 pm), unlike your Big Sissy. She refused to go to bed until Midnight every night when she was your age. You sleep until 8 am or so. You play for an hour or so and then take a cat-nap (45 minutes).

You may be the only baby in the World who hates being in the car. You want to be free. You want to be part of the action.

I think we are going to have a difficult time telling the difference between your baby pictures and your Sissy's. The two of you look very much alike. It will be interesting to see, if the close resemblance continues. One way we can tell is that your Sister made very dramatic facial expressions from the beginning. You mainly just smile (except when you are in pain, hungry or sleepy).

You may be the loudest sleeper I have ever met.

You may be the biggest drooler I have ever met. Poor baby.

I call your Sissy the "Spit-Up Police." Every time, you spit up (which you do a lot) she has to bring it to my attention. She also likes to remind me to nurse you and to change your diaper. "Baby crying, baby crying," she says with concern in her voice EVERY SINGLE TIME you wake up from a nap. She wants to rush downstairs immediately to see you. You are never going to have to worry about other kids picking on you, while your Sissy is around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are so very lucky that you have joined our Family. Thanks for being our Little Chatter-box, our Little Love-bug. You light up our lives with your Sweet Presence.



All our Love,

Mommy, Daddy and Big Sisher