Your Body, Your Birth

I am always amazed how many women will blindly follow the advice of their doctors in regards to pregnancy and birth. They don't question or disagree they just do what they are told. The medical community can be a great thing in pregnancy and birth but it can also be the source of interventions, unnecessary csections and the downfall of childbirth in the United States.

Just yesterday I was talking to a very pregnant aquantance and she was asking me about my girl's size at birth and their gestational age. When I told her the size of my first she was surprised but when I told her my second was 1 1/2 weeks overdue and over 9 lbs she said the common phrase from those who go in completely trusting their doctors "I can't believe your doctor let you go that far overdue". Of course she was even more shocked when I told her I don't see an obstetrician for prenatal care and that a doctor really doesn't let anyone do anything, medical professionals work for you, it isn't the other way around.

It really makes me sad the way doctors will bully and scare hormonal women into doing what they want them to do. The way inductions are scheduled for convenience and the option of an elective csection is even available. The percentage of doctors in this country who have actually attended a 100% natural birth with no interventions is very slim. Doctors aren't even trained to deliver a baby in any way other than the mother laying in a flat on her back position with her legs up above her in stirrups. This is perhaps the most conterproductive position to push a baby out in and when the second stage (pushing) last longer than what is convenient for the doctor you can almost always guarantee that mother will be wheeled down the hall on her way to a csection.

I wish that all women would educate themselves on birth, don't be afraid to question your doctor and ask them why and most importantly be an advocate for yourself. Natural birth isn't for everyone but at the very least know the facts and the risk of interventions. If you do chose to have a natural birth then look into classes. Two very popular ones right now are Bradley and Hynobirth. I personally have had 2 successful and natural Bradley births and cannot even begin to say how great I think the Bradley method of childbirth is.

Just for the record so I'm not taken as saying that all medical interventions are bad I did have what I consider a traumatic birth experience with my baby. After 28 hours of labor and 5 1/2 hours of pushing I transferred to the hospital where my care was transferred to an ob and family practice doctor. I am grateful that they were there that night and they got little Lila here safely and kept me safe. But I just think that under normal circumstances there is no reason to interfere with a natural labor and birth.

Kicking Back

I love my girls more than anything but all of you parents and especially those stay at home parents out there know that every once in a while it's nice to have a little time. When my husband offered to take the kids out for a run a bit ago I jumped at it realizing it would give me the chance to eat my dinner with no little hands reaching on my plate and maybe even polish off a glass or two of wine. Dinner tonight is certainly not fancy but it is mostly fresh. We had deviled chicken which is just a recipe I stumbled upon on another posting http://stolenmomentscooking.com/deviled-chicken/

Very good and most importantly super easy and quick. I of course had to add something to it. Instead of breadcrumbs I used a combo of wheat germ and milled flax seed. We also had creamed spinach made with fresh from the farmer's market spinach and soy milk and finally some sliced home grown tomatoes. Like I said nothing fancy but easy and pretty healthy.

We had a great day today that started off with a La Leche League meeting. No day can be bad when it starts with a La Leche meeting. There is something really special about getting together with likeminded mama's who share the same values in regards to pregnancy, birth, and parenting. I ventured down to Statesville for the meeting and while it is a small group I am impressed with the closeness of them. I do encourage any past, present or future breastfeeding mama's to check out your local La Leche League meetings.

Other than our breastfeeding meeting we spent the day with grandma and just relaxing and of course now the girls are out on a run with Jeff while I finish my first glass of wine and watch crap tv. Sometimes you just need to sit on the couch and watch bad tv it's a right every person should be able to experience occasionally.

YaYa

All of you parents of two kids know that you can't talk about one without talking about the other a bit. In case you are a bit confused we did not name our baby YaYa but YaYa very much fits her. Gwendalyn started calling Lila 'Yaya' and I find myself letting it slip occasionally. Not to mention the fact that you'll often hear a little 'YaYa' coming out of her own mouth.

So some little things about my baby.

-She never sits down, NEVER. This girl goes all the time. Whether it is 4 am or 2 in the afternoon she is wiggling, moving, crawling trying to explore. She has such a desire to see the world and not miss a single thing and she must keep up with big sister.
-Lila is trying so hard to walk. We have seen a few random steps but no steady walking yet. We suspect she is just going to take off one day and never look back.
-Lila is a biter. Not necessarily a good thing but if she is able to get anything in her mouth she will bite it and bite it hard.
-Much like big sister always has been Lila likes being naked. Just last night I was trying to convince a 9 month old to kee her diaper on at 4 am. I lost.

Silly Gwendalyn

I've decided today that I need to write a bit about both my girls. There are so many little moments that are just slipping by me that I am all too soon forgetting. Those little things that make Gwendalyn's personality that will change so quickly.

For those of you who are lucky enough to get to see and play with Gwen on a regular basis you know that she is a ball of energy. I cannot get over what a little lady she is becoming and how the bit of baby she had left is slowly disappearing. I was just looking at some old pictures of her a few weeks ago and could hardly recognize that little baby who used to cuddle up with me on the couch.

So here is a little list of things that make Gwendalyn 'Silly Gwen'.

-She is always wearing a dress. No matter where we go or what we are doing she insists on wearing a little dress.
-Gwendalyn also knows how to accessorize. It's not uncommon to see her wearing a pretty little bracelet and carrying a sparkly pocketbook and pretty little princess hat.
-You may wonder what it is a 2 1/2 year old keeps in a pocketbook. Well for Gwendalyn it's 3 or 4 Little People, a train or two and a couple of hair ties.
-Like most 2 year olds Gwen is also incredibly inquisitive. She wants to know how things work, or what they are, or where something is. I'll be the first to admit that all the questions drive me crazy on occasion but it is also such a blessing to be able to sit down and talk through the answer with her. And it is even more of a blessing when, instead of answering her question, I say 'What do you think?' It's amazing to see those little wheels turning in her head while she tries to come up with an answer which is sometimes right but it is always creative and almost always makes me laugh.
-Silly Gwen is also a great mommy. It isn't uncommon to see her rocking or nursing her babies. She pushes them in the buggy and loves to change their diapers and unfortunately for us she also likes to rub lotion on them and gives them baths. The messy little Cabbage Patch doll in the bathroom sink is proof of that.

and a few random facts about the 2 1/2 year old Silly Gwen.
-Her favorite color is green
-She likes to talk about how stinky her feet are
-She hates having her hair brushed and put up