Preparing A Way

A couple of days ago I realized that I am going to have a baby! That may sound crazy considering I am 30 weeks pregnant, but it hit me...I will be giving birth to this growing being inside of me.

I am not sure how much all the things I am doing leading up to birth will actually prepare me for what I will experience, but I am preparing none the less.

Some people assume that because I am a birth doula, I will be more prepared than most. Maybe. But, although I have attended many births and advised many pregnant women, nothing can compare to my own experiences during this pregnancy. It is so different actually experiencing it yourself. I am sure this all will make me a better doula as well.

So what am I doing to prepare you ask?

Here are a few things....

Reading Up On....

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way
by Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg and Erick Ingraham

Birthing From Within
by Pam England and Rob Horowitz

The Thinking Women's Guide to a Better Birth
by Henci Goer

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn
by Penny Simpkin, Janet Whalley, and Ann Keppler

The Parent's Concise Guide to Childhood Vaccinations
by Lauren Feder

Watching...

The Business of Being Born
Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein

Orgasmic Birth: The Best Kept Secret
Debra Pascali-Bonaro

In and On My Body...

Organic Food Based Prenatal Vitamins

Olympic Labs Pea Protein
added to my fruit smoothie in the mornings....YUMMY!

Lots of WATER....Obviously!

Organic Coconut Oil for lathering up my belly and skin

Earth Mama Angel Baby Products
I love them all, but I have been using the Stretch Mark Oil, Happy Feet, and Mint Herbal Lip Balm!

We are also taking Bradley Method Childbirth Classes with my friend Donna. And, I am getting weekly chiropractic adjustments from my friend Rachel.

When Is Your "Due Date"?

Do you even know how they come up with that day?

Ever wonder or get frustrated about why your "due date" changes as your pregnancy progresses or after you have a sonogram? Do you really want to rely on a sonogram to tell you the date you are due?

And then, do you get hung up on all those dates they are throwing out at you?

Unless you know the exact day you conceived or you have a 28 day cycle on the dot every month, combined with the fact that you were trying to conceive, you may not know that the "due date" you were given could be off.

Did you know that your caregiver is taking that pregnancy wheel out and calculating your "due date" based on a 28 day cycle? What if your "normal" is a 35 day cycle and you have been that way for years? Your "due date" is going to show that you are due a week earlier than you really are.

Or, what if you haven't had a period in 6 months and you become pregnant?

As women with such wonderfully fashioned bodies and intricately designed cycles, we should be aware of how our bodies work. Women who observe and chart their cycles and what is happening with their body throughout the month will find it much easier to formulate a "due date" for pregnancy. This is because you will know exactly the days you were most fertile and what day you most likely could have conceived on. In fact, you may be able to tell your care giver when you are due instead of the other way around. It is a great feeling to know you have that knowledge!

And, remember, before setting your sites on that magical "due date"...

• Your baby does not know its "due date".
• First babies tend to come late.
• As long as the baby is inside of you, it has everything it needs.
• Patience is a wonderful thing when it comes to giving birth.

Green Your Clean for Baby

We all want to live in a clean, disinfected home, especially when we have a baby.

Have you ever stopped to think about the chemicals that your baby is exposed to?

How about bath time? Or baby learning to crawl on the kitchen floor?

Did you just bleach the tub, mop the floor with chemical disinfectants, or put down carpet deodorizer before vacuuming?

What happens to the chemical residues left behind after these harsh cleanings? They probably get absorbed into the bath water or rub into the baby's skin when on the floor. And, as we all know, a baby does not have a sense of "yuck", they will lick and taste anything.

So, how do you get your house clean and disinfected without these harsh cleaners? Here are a few items and recipes you can use for some natural household cleaners that are safe for you and your family.

Common Household Items:

Baking Soda - Extremely versatile, baking soda is an all-purpose, nontoxic cleaner. It cleans, deodorizes, scours, polishes and removes stains.

Borax - (sodium borate) It deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap. It also prevents mold and odors. Great alternative for those who do not want to use bleach.

Cornstarch - cleans and deodorizes carpets and rugs, you can use this to replace expensive "baby powders" also.

Ketchup - great for cleaning copper

Lemon juice - great for whitening items, but vinegar is cheaper . It also cuts through grease and stains on aluminum and porcelain

Pure Soap - cleans just about anything and is mild

Salt - regular table salt makes an abrasive, but gentle, scouring powder

White Vinegar - very cheap and versatile, great for whitening, also fantastic for cleaning hard surfaces, windows and shining up metal surfaces. Removes mildew, stains, grease and wax buildup. This is another natural cleaner that whole books have been written on!

Recipes:

All Purpose Quick Shiner
Mild and safe to use for all surfaces

1-1/4 cups white vinegar
1-1/4 cups water
22 ounce spray bottle
4-5 drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)

Pour vinegar and water into the spray bottle. Shake gently to combine. To use, spray on and wipe off.

Homemade Dust and Furniture Polish
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup lemon juice

Pour oil and lemon juice into a squirt bottle or jar. Stir to combine. To use, dip dust cloth or rag into oil, blot the oil by folding the cloth together, and then dust your furniture.

All Purpose Window and Glass Cleaner
Vinegar cuts grease and leaves windows sparkling clean. Best of all, this mixture is absolutely safe. It's the best choice if you have young children in the house.

1/4 cup white vinegar
1 quart of water
4-5 drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)

Pour vinegar and water into a bowl or container, or mix the ingredients in a spray bottle. Clean windows directly with a sponge dipped in the bowl of cleaner or spray on and wipe clean.

Sink, Shower, and Tub Cleaner
Combine equal parts baking soda and salt to scrub stainless steel.
OR
Combine baking soda and vinegar to make paste. Add 4-5 drops of essential oils (optional)

Baby Talk

Talking to your baby from conception to birth can be such a beautiful bonding experience. Even though your baby has not fully developed hearing very early on, I believe it is important to recognize the connection you have with your baby and start talking to him or her from the moment you find out your are pregnant. Encourage dad to talk and bond with the baby too. When that baby is born he or she will be able to recognize your voices.

So what exactly should you say to your baby in the womb?

As the mother, your baby is going with you everywhere. As you drive in your car, take a walk, do housework, or whatever you may do throughout your day, tell your baby what you are doing.

When you sit down to eat a meal, share with your baby about the delicious food you are both about to eat.

At times when the baby is especially active during the day or night, talk to the baby out loud or just in your heart. What may be making the baby so active and what can you do to help he or she to be calm? Listen for the answer. You will be surprised what you may hear.

At bedtime, have daddy tell the baby about his day and have him read the baby a children's story.

When you go to see your caregiver, tell the baby what to possibly expect. Do you have an ultrasound or other prenatal testing that day? Prepare the baby for what will be happening.

Do you feel especially emotional some days? Do you cry or feel overwhelmed at times? Explain to your baby the feelings you are having.

Are you reaching the end of pregnancy? Tell your baby and your body the kind of birth you want. Ensure the baby that what is about to happen during birth is a lot of work for both of you and you will be so excited to greet him or her in the end. Tell your baby the position you would like he or she to be in for the best birth.

Establishing a relationship before birth will help you to continue once the baby is born. Because you have been talking to the baby for so many months in your womb, it will be very easy to continue that bonding once you are holding him or her in your arms and going about your day after the birth.

Don't underestimate the awareness of your baby. Just because your baby is very tiny and young doesn't mean that he or she doesn't understand what is going on it's environment. Babies know more at a young age than we will ever understand.

The Amazing Body of a Woman

Have you ever stopped to really ponder and appreciate what amazing beings we are as women?

At birth we have all the eggs we will have for the rest of our lifetime. These give us the ability to conceive.

When puberty begins, we start our cycle. At that time we are given physical signs by our body as clues to our fertility and reproductive health.

The womb was created to grow and nourish a little life.

Our body's unique design has the ability to birth life into the world and our instincts tell us we can do it.

That little life we give birth to is sustained by food from our breasts.

Eventually that baby with grow up and the cycle of life will start all over again.

And, that is just the beginning.

I believe so strongly that a woman should know and understand her own body even before she begins puberty. It opens up an whole new understanding, appreciation, and responsibility for our cycle and our reproductive health. Talking with your daughters about their cycles is an important dialogue. It is so much more information than "the birds and the bees" talk. Girls can gain an understanding on a new level. Moms, it is important to know these things for yourself as well so that you can relay them in a way that is mature and understandable to your adolescents as they grow into young women themselves.

Fertility Awareness is much more than knowing when you are fertile in order to achieve pregnancy. It empowers girls and woman to understand their bodies by observing many things that are happening and changing during her cycle. Knowing and maintaining optimal gynecological health from puberty to menopause, appreciating your womanhood, and nurturing your marriage relationship are all beautiful experiences you can have when you are aware of your body and what it is doing.

Upcoming Fertility Awareness classes will be March 27, 2010 and May 8, 2010. Please contact me at hannah.reasonerLMT@gmail.com for more information.

Green Products I Love

Recently, I attended a cloth diapering demonstration and met Kristi Rooks from Hip Green Baby. I bought all kinds of organic and eco-friendly baby products for our little one on the way. Here are just a few of the products that she carries that I LOVE and highly recommend!

• Unbleached Cotton Prefold Diapers
• Amber Teething Necklaces
• Maggies Soap Nuts Liquid Cleaner
• Waterproof Diaper Pail Liners
• Planet Wise Wet Bags
• Cloth Wipes
• Babywearing Accessories

Mommies and Mommies-To-Be, I believe it is so important to preserve our delicate planet by consuming eco-friendly and reusable products. Not only is it important for the planet, but for the precious little baby we care for each day.

Please visit Hip Green Baby to see what products you and your baby can enjoy to support a healthy lifestyle and conserve our planet.

It is never too late to start going green!

Organic Coconut Oil for the Blooming Belly

Recently, my mom was in town and brought with her some coconut oil she uses for everything. I love to cook and bake with it myself, but hadn't yet tried to lather it on my belly yet because I have been using my new Earth Mama Angel Baby Stretch Oil (which I love, love love!). My mom also suggested I try to put it on a skin tag that had conveniently popped right under my bra line during my pregnancy. It was becoming irritated and painful but was still hanging on for dear life. After putting coconut oil and a bandage over it for three days, it fell off and I am happy to report...no more irritation.

Thank you, Mother, for leaving your Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil with me. I have been lubing up my belly every night this week. Personally, I love the smell of coconut and don't mind the slipperiness of it on my belly at night. Knock on wood, the only tiny stretch marks that have appeared are coming from my appendectomy scar and the two very low scars from my ectopic pregnancy surgery. I am hopeful and determined to steer clear of stretch marks with the use of all of these great oils.

Gotta love a product with multiple uses! Coconut oil can also be used for:

• Skin Care: Besides stretch marks, it is a great moisturizer for dry skin, dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, and other skin conditions.
• Stress Relief: Massage a bit into your skin in sore or stressed areas.
• Aiding Digestion: It has anti-bacterial properties. You can swallow it plain or add it to your cooking to help the absorption of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
• Fitness: It can stimulate metabolism, improve thyroid function, and increase energy levels.
• Healing: Apply to cuts and scraps to protect against bacteria and virus and can speed the healing of bruises.
• Hair Care: Can be one of the most nourishing products for your hair. Use it to prevent dandruff and dry scalp.

Anyone else had great success with coconut oil?