Archive for March, 2008

Shannon’s Birth Story

March 13, 2008 at 10:20 am · Filed under Childbirth

I always enjoy exchanging birth stories, so here is the story of our journey through my pregnancy and labor of our first child.

It all started with asking my mother questions about how I was born. I had heard the story several times before but now I was much more interested since I would be experiencing childbirth shortly, too. I weighed 10 lbs and my mom actually had me with no pain medication. After hearing that she was in labor for 60 hours and had pitocin and then managed to have me with no pain medication I knew I could also do it without pain medication. I asked her if she would get me a natural childbirth book for Christmas and right away I was hooked. I read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon and signed up for classes soon afterwards.

I started my pregnancy seeing an OB/GYN, but once we started the Bradley classes and asked our OB/GYN many questions, I decided it would be best for me to switch to a midwifery practice. I thoroughly enjoyed the Bradley Method® classes I was taking and I couldn’t wait until the next week of class to learn something new.

My husband Billy and I weren’t great at practicing labor techniques but I tried to do it alone as much as I could. We decided when I was 8 months pregnant to ask our Bradley teacher to attend our birth as our doula. She was very supportive and is also a fellow believer so I felt that it would be a blessing to have her there.

I was 2 days away from my due date when I went to bend over and felt a small gush of water. I was sure that my bag of waters did not break because it was just enough to change my underwear but not enough to change my pants. At that point, I our doula and told her what had happened. She told me to give her a call when contractions started.

We went to a party and once arriving back at home with a movie rental I decided that instead of watching it, I was going to go to bed. Around 1 am I woke up to use that bathroom when I realized that I had a bloody show. I got back in bed to try to get more sleep but then realized I was having contractions. I went downstairs to tell Billy and he didn’t seem to believe me because I was so calm. I decided to get in the bathtub to relax for a while. My contractions were coming 8 minutes apart.

After the bath we went to bed, but I was so excited I could not sleep. I let Billy sleep but I just laid in bed, dreaming of holding our precious baby boy. Around 5 am I called the birth center and our doula to let them know that I was in labor. My contractions were coming about 7 minutes apart. I took another bath and checked my bag to make sure everything was there. We left for the birth center at 6 am.

Once there the midwife did a pelvic exam and said that I was 3 centimeters. The center had a policy of not accepting patients until they were at least 4 centimeters dilated so we met up with our doula and decided to go for a walk. I walked and would stop for each contraction leaning against Billy and trying to relax. We decided to walk to breakfast and once we were inside, the contractions became more intense. I felt strange being in public in labor. I wonder what those people were thinking. I wasn’t making strange noises or anything (at least not yet) but I was putting my head on the table or trying to get into a comfortable position with each contraction. Once we were finished with breakfast we walked back to The Maternity Center and got comfortable in a room.

It was about 11 and the midwife did a pelvic exam and said that I was about 5 centimeters dilated. I thought at that point that I might be in labor all day. I was trying to get comfortable in the room and the funniest thing happened. My doula was trying to set the mood so she turned on a calming water fountain that they had in the room. Instead of the soothing sound of water it let out this wretched noise. It was hilarious. I was laughing so hard.. that is, until another contraction came.

I decided it was time to get into the tub. There were candles lit and the water was warm. I soaked for almost an hour. Once I got out of the tub I laid on my side trying to relax with each contraction. Billy was on the bed lightly stroking me. In between contractions I mostly prayed and dreamed of my baby being born.

About 2 hours later I decided it was time to get back into the bathtub. Once I got in the tub and relaxed, my contractions started to come closer and stronger. While I was in transition and starting to make noises, I heard the midwife on the phone across the hall calling for a back-up midwife.My son was born the day before Memorial day so a lot of people had family in town or could not be reached. I knew that she could tell things were starting to get more intense when she said to someone on the other side of the phone that she needed someone there soon because “this young girl here is going to be having a baby soon.” She finally found someone and came to check on me.

At this point she had me stand up to do a pelvic exam. She said that I was 9 centimeters dialated. I was ready to lay back down in the tub when she said to me “okay, it is time to get out.” I wasn’t too happy about that. Once I was out which took a lot of effort and help from Billy, I sat on the birthing stool. The midwife came into the room and asked to break my water. She said that the back-up midwife was worried that there was meconium in my bag of waters. We asked her to give us a minute so that we could talk. When she came back in we told her we would rather her not break my bag of waters. We did not feel it was necessary since there were no signs of stress from the baby.

Because I was starting to feel pressure about how long things were taking, I decided that I would go sit on the toilet and push. After a few pushes “pop” my water broke. My doula told the midwife. She told me to lay down so that she could do another pelvic exam (ugh, again) to see if it was time for me to push. I tried a few different positions pushing but I ended up on my side which at the time was not very comfortable. After about 40 minutes of pushing my baby was born. It was such a joyful experience. As my baby lay on my stomach all I could do is sob and thank God for giving me a healthy baby boy.

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Easter Books & Activities

March 11, 2008 at 2:48 pm · Filed under Kid's Activities, Toys & Books ·Tagged , , ,

What activities do you do with your children? Here are some ideas. Please comment with your own!

Books:

1. Read the “Easter story” straight from your Bible — Matthew 27 on Good Friday and Matthew 28 on Easter morning

51tvkd4y1tl_aa240_.jpg2. Read The Tale of Three Trees retold by Angela Elwell Hunt — this is a beautiful American folktalke for grade school children about three trees whose wishes come true in surprising ways. It’s a perfect culmination of Jesus’ birth, ministry, and death & resurrection. I read it to my public school class every year at Easter as an “American folktale!”

3. Read younger children The Story of Easter by Patricia A. Pingry — a board book with few words and bright illustrations.

4. Read Peter Cottontail’s Easter Book by Lulu Delacre — Peter Cottontail leads readers through pages, accompanied by the nursery song “Itisket, Itasket,” and his own commentary. Interspersed are sections on crafts and customs, both religious and secular. Most appropriate for grade school children and mature preschoolers.

5. Read Easter by Gail Gibbons — an explanation of the religious aspect of Easter geared for preschool through early grade school children. Jesus’ life and death are treated briefly but with enough detail to provide a basic introduction to the subject. The crucifixion is shown from afar to soften its cruelty, and afterward the risen Jesus happily astonishes his followers. Next the symbols of candles and spring flowers lead logically into a discussion of the other aspects of the holiday, including Easter egg decoration, hunts, and baskets; Eostre, the spring goddess who gave the day its name; and the special Easter foods and clothes.

Activities

1. Color Easter Eggs — to add a little spice for primary grade school kids, buy two or three different kits and do an experiment to see which brand yielded the brightest colors and make a note of it for next year’s purchase. With my 4th graders one year we made a list of the most important criteria such as, quality of supplies, clarity of directions, lowest price, brightness, and add-ons, and then we rated each brand on a scale of 1-4. Whichever brand yielded the highest score was the winner. The kids asked their moms buy that brand before Easter. Click here for more ideas.img_6342.jpg

2. Easter Egg hunt — my parents woke up early every year to hide the REAL eggs we colored the day before. They were always on one floor of the house and there was a little added pressure to find all of the eggs because if we didn’t, we would smell them in a few days. Of course you can do the traditional way too — fill and hide plastic eggs and be sure to invite lots of kids! That’s what we did last year when our son was only 4 months old (see photo).

3. Easter basket hunt — we also had to find our Easter basket. When we were younger, it was in easy to find places like beside the couch or on top of the TV. As we got older it would appear in the dryer or on a hanger in the coat closet. Then in college (oh yes, we still did this in college) we would have to get hints because they were so hard to find we’d look forever! Be sure to label the basket with your kids’ names and tell them if they find their siblings’ basket to walk away quietly.

4. Make something crafty with your kids. For some great ideas go to Kaboose or Family Fun.

5. Buy, or better yet make, something special for their Easter basket. Check out these Easter lambs and bunnies at Etsy!

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Odwalla & Naked Juice

March 9, 2008 at 4:33 pm · Filed under Green, Nutrition ·Tagged , , , ,

I love a good summer drink year round, don’t you? As kids, my sister and I used to beg our dad to make us smoothies. It seemed like a Friday night thing. He’d pop popcorn in his air popper and then make smoothies and we would all sit down and watch a movie. Ahhh!

Well, I have had plenty of time on my own to experiment with my own smoothie blends. I must say though, that sometimes I just don’t feel like making the mess, so I splurge and pick up a pre-made one – either Odwalla or Naked. (And that’s Naked Juice, not naked me picking up a drink.) When I first discovered them, I wasn’t sure which was better, both in taste and ingredients, so I grabbed whichever one was on sale as long as it didn’t have added sugar. Now that I’ve had a few, done my nutritional research, and contacted both companies, here’s my take on the two companies…

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Odwalla does not use any artificial sweeteners or processed sugars. They do however use organic evaporated cane juice and honey in some of their drinks. According to Verna from Odwalla, their organic evaporated cane juice is a natural sugar and is treated like a food from the time it is harvested until the time is goes into their bottles. The cane juice is pressed from sun-ripened sugarcane, washed, filtered and crystallized-all right on the farm. Verna told me that “yes, it is still cane, but we want to make sure that our consumers know it is not ordinary, as we feel it is very different from highly processed sugar.”

Odwalla Juices that do not have cane juice or honey are: Apple; Blueberry B; Berries Go Mega; Blackberry Fruit Shake; Carrot; Grapefruit; Mango Tango; Orange; Pomegranate Juice; Pomegranate Berry; Pomegranate Mango; Strawberry Banana; Super protein Original; Superfood Micronutrient; and Tangerine.

Naked Juice
I asked Dan, of Naked Juice, the same question I asked Verna – “Do you add any sweeteners to your drinks?” Dan’s response follows: “We don’t do that. Ever. There are absolutely no exceptions, and really, we don’t understand why someone would add sweeteners to juice. Juice is made from fruits. Fruits are sweet because they already have sugars in them. It’s our opinion that the amount of sugar Mother Nature put in the fruits is the exact right amount of sugar to be in Naked Juice.

Some specific comparisons:
Mango drinks
I enjoy fresh mangoes when they are in season, so finding a good mango drink is a treat. Odwalla makes “Mango Tango.” Naked makes “Mighty Mango.” Neither of these drinks have added sweeteners so I have had both. Naked’s drink has more of a typical smoothie taste with an apple juice base. There are in fact, more apples in the drink than mangoes. Odwalla’s Mango Tango, on the other hand, tastes like they have just squeezed the Mango right into the bottle. Mango Tango is thick and refreshing and I prefer it. Okay, I love it!

Vitamin C drinks @ 1000% daily value Vit. C
Odwalla makes Citrus C Monster fruit smoothie and Strawberry C Monster. Naked makes the following three: Power C, Strawberry-Banana C, and Tropical C. Both Odwalla drinks have cane juice, which I was afraid would result in a better taste than the Naked Juices, but I actually prefer the Naked Juices. Both companies drinks leave you wondering if they crushed up a million vitamin C chewables, but the Power C blend is much more pleasant. So, my favorite Vitamin C drink is the Naked Power C drink containing a blend of peach, guava, and mango.

I have tried a few other drinks from both companies, but I love the Mango Tango so much, that it’s hard to branch out and try other ones. Plus, I try to only grab one when it’s a treat. What a nice, healthy alternative to a visit to the Starbucks kiosk in Safeway. Cheaper too!

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Beware of Babywise

March 8, 2008 at 6:09 pm · Filed under Breastfeeding, Christianity, Health, Parenting ·Tagged , , , ,

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Babywise is the popular name for the book On Becoming Babywise, which is a parenting regime authored by Gary Ezzo that teaches parents to “guide their baby’s day rather than be guided or enslaved to the infant’s unknown needs.” The book was self-published in 1993, as the secular counterpart to Ezzo’s religious materials for infants, Preparation for Parenting. Babywise was picked up by Multnomah Publishing in the mid-1990s, but then dropped in 2001, after publishers investigated medical issues related to the book and character concerns about Ezzo. Babywise is the first parenting guide that the American Academy of Pediatrics has publicly recommended against.

So yes, there is a lot to be concerned about. Let’s start with the author. Gary Ezzo has no medical background. He has no professional training in child development, medicine, or breastfeeding support. Ezzo, Growing Families International (of whom he is the executive director) and his publisher have attributed to him three different academic degrees that he does not have. Ezzo even stated in writing that he had an associate’s degree in business from Mohawk Community College in Utica, New York, even specifying a major and a grade-point average. He never graduated from that school, officials say (source).

Questions about Ezzo’s qualifications are relevant for two reasons. First, his lack of integrity should be a huge concern for the Christian community. 1 Timothy 4:16 says, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” Proverbs 10:9 says, “He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.” David said in 1 Chronicles 29:17, “I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.” And Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the falseness of the treacherous will destroy them.” As Christians, we must be committed to integrity!

Second, Ezzo’s infant feeding advice is inconsistent with standard medical recommendations. Both Babywise and Preparation for Parenting tell parents that not following his principles is a potential health concern and that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports Ezzo’s recommended number of feeding times. On the contrary, the AAP does not support scheduled feedings and has issued an AAP Media Alert about the poor weight gain and dehydration that may result. The AAP stated that Ezzo’s program “outlines an infant feeding schedule inconsistent with AAP recommendations.”

What about the co-author Dr. Bucknam, you might ask. Well, Babywise is the secularized version of Ezzo’s Christian Preparation for Parenting material (now retitled Along the Infant Way). This was in its third edition before the first edition of Babywise was published and the medical content is the same. So, it seems as though Dr. Bucknam was simply added to give credibility to the program.

In addition to a lack of credentials, John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church, where the programs got their start, affirms in a public statement that the Ezzos’ teachings demonstrate “a lack of clarity on certain fundamental doctrinal issues,” “confusion between biblical standards and matters of personal preference,” and “insufficient attention to the child’s need for regeneration,” as well as a “tendency to isolationism.” Numerous Christian groups have expressed concern over Babywise and the Ezzos in particular because they consistently exhibited a pattern of cultic behavior, including Scripture twisting, authoritarianism, isolationism, and physical and emotional endangerment (source).

Aside from a lack of credentials and integrity, Ezzo’s materials are dangerous for babies. The following is from an AAP News article in 1998:

“Expectant parents often fear the changes a new baby will bring, especially sleepless nights. What new parent wouldn’t want a how-to book that promises their baby will be sleeping through the night by three to eight weeks? One such book, On Becoming Babywise, has raised concern among pediatricians because it outlines an infant feeding program that has been associated with failure to thrive (FTT), poor milk supply failure, and involuntary early weaning. A Forsyth Medical Hospital Review Committee, in Winston-Salem N.C., has listed 11 areas in which the program is inadequately supported by conventional medical practice. The Child Abuse Prevention Council of Orange County, Calif., stated its concern after physicians called them with reports of dehydration, slow growth and development, and FTT associated with the program. And on Feb. 8, AAP District IV passed a resolution asking the Academy to investigate “Babywise,” determine the extent of its effects on infant health and alert its members, other organizations and parents of its findings.”

There are so many resources out there on Babywise and the Ezzos. A few are included as links within the text and here are a few more:

Christianity Today article

Christian Research Institute article

Evaluating Ezzo Programs – extremely helpful site with tons of info including theological concerns of Babywise, statements by organizations such as AAP and Focus on the Family, as well as alternatives to Babywise; great resource!

Blog of former Ezzo Contact Mom

New Challenges Facing Gary Ezzo…

In conclusion, I found the summarizing thoughts made by the Christian Research Institute perfectly stated, “parents and church leaders…need to be aware of the risks associated with a teaching environment where Scripture is used out of context, questioning is actively discouraged, rules and schedules become part of one’s ‘testimony,’ even other Christians are considered ‘humanistic,’ division results, and the leaders do not seem to be receptive to constructive criticism.” Beware parents!

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Review: The Time Traveler’s Wife

March 5, 2008 at 7:30 pm · Filed under Novel book reviews ·Tagged

Title: The Time Traveler’s Wife

Author: Audrey Niffeneger

Summary:

From Publishers Weekly:

This clever and inventive tale works on three levels: as an intriguing science fiction concept, a realistic character study and a touching love story. Henry De Tamble is a Chicago librarian with “Chrono Displacement” disorder; at random times, he suddenly disappears without warning and finds himself in the past or future, usually at a time or place of importance in his life. This leads to some wonderful paradoxes. From his point of view, he first met his wife, Clare, when he was 28 and she was 20. She ran up to him exclaiming that she’d known him all her life. He, however, had never seen her before. But when he reaches his 40s, already married to Clare, he suddenly finds himself time traveling to Clare’s childhood and meeting her as a 6-year-old. The book alternates between Henry and Clare’s points of view, and so does the narration. Reed ably expresses the longing of the one always left behind, the frustrations of their unusual lifestyle, and above all, her overriding love for Henry. Likewise, Burns evokes the fear of a man who never knows where or when he’ll turn up, and his gratitude at having Clare, whose love is his anchor. The expressive, evocative performances of both actors convey the protagonists’ intense relationship, their personal quirks and their reminiscences, making this a fascinating audio. (Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.)

Positive Elements

The Time Traveler’s Wife is an intriguing story about a love that two people share — a love that goes through the strange and unimaginable. I loved both of the central characters in the story. The author developed them well and you had a sense of really knowing them by the end of the story. I liked the way the author followed the lives of both characters at the same time, although it was a little challenging to follow at the beginning.

Sexual Content

This story has a few scenes that are sexual in nature. There was a particular scene that occurred with Clare when she was in high school. She was “attacked” by a male classmate. This may be disturbing to some. Also, adultery occurs in this novel. The other sexual scenes that occur are not graphic in nature and have suitable place in this novel.

Violent Content

There was not any major violence in the book. There was the above mentioned attack as well as Henry beating someone up after time traveling, but it was not graphic.

Profanity

There is profanity throughout this story. Some of the profanity was in the character’s general conversation in relation to sex.

Drug Content

There is little drug content in this book. The drugs that are talked about are related to Henry’s condition and they are medicinal in nature.

Conclusion:

I thought that this story was somewhat confusing at the beginning. It was challenging to follow the time lines of both of the characters. Once you get “into” the book, it becomes easier to follow and understand. I enjoyed reading this novel and all its complexities. Be prepared to spend some time reading this book, though. It is about 500 pages.

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