Melissa's Research Links On This Journey of Learning

Why this blog exists

2011-10-13T19:31:00.002-05:00

Researching

*I do post almost daily on my facebook page. Its a lot easier to post there than here. :) Check it out! http://www.facebook.com/OnThisJourney *

For those who wonder about why I do research links:

The research is usually in response to someone asking me to do research for them, because I am good at it, and I enjoy it. I also research things that are interesting to me. I simply want to share what I have learned. I feel that it is important to be informed about things, and that ignorance is not bliss. This research and these links are for informative purposes, and it is my hobby.

I consider my research a part of my ministry to people, and what God has called me to do. I consider them a part of my church community ministry.

Please click on any of the links on the left side of the page, or the topics below and they will take you to that specific topic. I'm adding new topics all the time. Most of these topics have been created in the last 4 years. So far I have done research on:

Home Birth Videos

Mazda5 station wagon

Kroger Design Bag

Urinary Tract Infections

American Idol Shout to the Lord

Article on Barack Obama

Christy Youtube song

Black Friday 2007

Other Great Websites that I recommend:

Visit my Husband's Writing website: www.geocities.com/kevincneece
Visit my Husband's Strum stick music on You tube: www.youtube.com/kevincneece
Candi's Craft shop: http://shortsupply.etsy.com/

Marisa's Printing Business: http://www.businessincolor.com/

Giveaway - Tarrant County McDonalds Reviews Ebook and $25 Gift Card

2011-10-13T19:29:00.005-05:00

I’m a big believer in supporting your spouse’s dreams and aspirations.

Therefore, I’m hosting several giveaways of some of my favorite things to support my husband in his endeavor to be a writer, speaker, Trekker and all-around brilliant thinker.

My husband Kevin C Neece is a wonderful Speaker – he speaks at conferences, events, church services, colleges, workshops, and classes. Check out his overall website at www.kevincneece.com

Lately, he has been mainly focusing on The Undiscovered Country Project, looking at Star Trek from a Christian perspective. His website is an ongoing conversation between Star Trek and Christianity, seeking points of congruence between the two.

He is also hosting a Spock Ears Giveaway on his site during Spocktober, his month-long tribute to Spock. The Undiscovered Country Project is giving away TWO pairs screen-accurate replica ears made and signed by makeup artist Steve Neill, who sculpted Spock's ears for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Based on Neill's original masters, these ears are exactly like the ones Leonard Nimoy wore in the film!

Check it out here: http://undiscoveredcountryproject.com/?p=725

Now, back to my giveaway.
*This particular giveaway will only be activated when my husband's page reaches 1,000 fans*

I am giving away one copy of my ebook Reviews of Tarrant County McDonald's restaurants. I've put a lot of time, gas, and effort in visiting a whole LOT of McDonalds around where I live. I answer questions like
"Is the playplace toddler friendly?" "Does the playplace have electric sockets for the internet working mom?" Currently there is a total of 10 questions, plus my personal reviews of the restaurant, including my vote for the best toddler-friendly McDonalds. I also offer this ebook on Fiverr if you would like to purchase it.
http://fiverr.com/eversienna/provide-a-list-of-tarrant-county-mcdonalds-especially-tailored-for-the-wahm-internet-needy-mom

With this ebook is a $25 McDonalds gift card so you can buy plenty of cokes and coffee while working on your internet projects.

Mandatory Entry: (Leave one comment for each entry)

1) Like my husband’s facebook page The Undiscovered Country Project

2) Share his facebook page in your facebook status

(If you do not have a facebook account, then email this page link to your friends, then come back here to leave a comment).

Extra Entries: (Leave one comment for each entry earned)

(Extra entries are available only after making a Basic Entry and valid only if a comment is made for each entry earned)

Like my Facebook page On This Journey (but only if you actually like it)
Post about this McDonalds giveaway in your facebook status.
Follow The Undiscovered Country Project (@UCPTweets) on Twitter. (3 extra entries)
Tweet “@UCPTweets Happy #Spocktober! Enter to WIN Authentic Replica Spock Ears like @TheRealNimoy wore in TMP! http://goo.gl/LcQBs #Spock #StarTrek” once a day for an extra daily entry. (Your comment must link back to your tweet. Instructions here.)
Subscribe to the UCP Update! email newsletter. (3 extra entries)
Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this blog post. Be sure to include a direct link to your blog post in your entry comment. (5 extra entries)
Make a relevant comment on any of my non-giveaway On This Journey blog post.
Make a relevant comment on any Undiscovered Country Project blog post.
Follow UCPStumble on StumbleUpon
Stumble this giveaway post, the UCP website or any UCP blog entry.
Buy a UCP T-shirt. (10 extra entries)
Take a picture of yourself wearing your UCP T-shirt in a public place and e-mail it to undiscoveredcountryproject@yahoo.com. (5 extra entries)

Have fun, spread the word and HAPPY SPOCKTOBER!!

Giveaway - Above Rubies Magazines and More!

2011-10-12T19:15:00.003-05:00

I’m a big believer in supporting your spouse’s dreams and aspirations.

Therefore, I’m hosting several giveaways of some of my favorite things to support my husband in his endeavor to be a writer, speaker, Trekker and all-around brilliant thinker.

My husband Kevin C. Neece is a wonderful Speaker – he speaks at conferences, events, church services, colleges, workshops, and classes. Check out his overall website at www.kevincneece.com

Check it out here: http://undiscoveredcountryproject.com/?p=725

Now, back to my giveaway. ;)

I will be giving away extra copies of a great magazine called Above Rubies. There will be at least 10 copies. Above Rubies is a magazine that is filled with inspiring testimonial stories of Christian ladies with large families. Even if a large family isn't your cup of tea, these stories are a glimpse into a lifestyle that most of us can't even imagine. There are also natural health and natural birth stories.
Included in this package will be two copies of Mothering Magazine, two copies of Reminisce magazine, and maybe a few others that will be a delightful surprise. :)

Mandatory Entry: (Leave a comment for each entry earned)

1) Like my husband’s facebook page The Undiscovered Country Project

2) Share his facebook page in your status

(If you do not have a facebook account, then email this page link to your friends, then come back here to leave a comment).

Extra Entries: (Leave a comment for each entry earned)

(Extra entries are available only after making a Basic Entry and valid only if a comment is made for each entry earned)

Like my Facebook page On This Journey (but only if you actually like it)
Post about this Above Rubies giveaway in your status.
Follow The Undiscovered Country Project (@UCPTweets) on Twitter. (3 extra entries)
Tweet “@UCPTweets Happy #Spocktober! Enter to WIN Authentic Replica Spock Ears like @TheRealNimoy wore in TMP! http://goo.gl/LcQBs #Spock #StarTrek” once a day for an extra daily entry. (Your comment must link back to your tweet. Instructions here.)
Subscribe to the UCP Update! email newsletter. (3 extra entries)
Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this blog post. Be sure to include a direct link to your blog post in your entry comment. (5 extra entries)
Make a relevant comment on any of my non-giveaway On This Journey blog post.
Follow UCPStumble on StumbleUpon
Stumble this giveaway post, the UCP website or any UCP blog entry.
Buy a UCP T-shirt. (10 extra entries)
Take a picture of yourself wearing your UCP T-shirt in a public place and e-mail it to undiscoveredcountryproject@yahoo.com. (5 extra entries)

Have fun, spread the word and HAPPY SPOCKTOBER!!

Giveaway - Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger

2011-10-12T18:58:00.003-05:00

I’m a big believer in supporting your spouse’s dreams and aspirations.

Therefore, I’m hosting several giveaways of some of my favorite things to support my husband in his endeavor to be a writer, speaker, Trekker and all-around brilliant thinker.

My husband Kevin C. Neece is a wonderful speaker – he speaks at conferences, events, church services, colleges, workshops, and classes. Check out his overall website at www.kevincneece.com

Check it out here: http://undiscoveredcountryproject.com/?p=725

Now, back to my giveaway. ;)

I will be giving away my extra copy of one of my Favorite Birth books. I have a library of over 50 books dealing with pregnancy and birth, and this one is by far one of my favorites. It is exhaustive in its coverage of important information and I personally think it contains information that is not easily found other places.

The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth (Revised) by Sheila Kitzinger

Amazon Link

Author Page

Mandatory Entry:

1) Like my husband’s facebook page The Undiscovered Country Project

2) Share his facebook page in your status

(If you do not have a facebook account, then email this page link to your friends, then come back here to leave a comment).

Extra Entries: (Leave one comment for each entry earned)

(Extra entries are available only after making a Basic Entry and valid only if a comment is made for each entry earned)

Like my Facebook page On This Journey (but only if you actually Like it)
Post about this book giveaway in your Facebook status
Follow The Undiscovered Country Project (@UCPTweets) on Twitter. (3 extra entries)
Tweet “@UCPTweets Happy #Spocktober! Enter to WIN Authentic Replica Spock Ears like @TheRealNimoy wore in TMP! http://goo.gl/LcQBs #Spock #StarTrek” once a day for an extra daily entry. (Your comment must link back to your tweet. Instructions here.)
Subscribe to the UCP Update! email newsletter. (3 extra entries)
Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this blog post. Be sure to include a direct link to your blog post in your entry comment. (5 extra entries)
Make a relevant comment on any of my non-giveaway On This Journey blog post.
Make a relevant comment on any non-giveaway Undiscovered Country Project blog post.
Follow UCPStumble on StumbleUpon
Stumble this giveaway post, the UCP website or any UCP blog entry.
Buy a UCP T-shirt. (10 extra entries)
Take a picture of yourself wearing your UCP T-shirt in a public place and e-mail it to undiscoveredcountryproject@yahoo.com. (5 extra entries)

Have fun, spread the word and HAPPY SPOCKTOBER!!

Submissions to host your giveaway

2011-10-11T12:47:00.000-05:00

Hey, I just had a thought. I'm doing a major blitz for my giveaway and my husband's giveaway. If you want me to giveaway something cool from your business, just contact me and I will be happy to host your giveaway, as long as I can mention my husband's giveaway at the same time!

Rethinking Everything Conference 2011

2011-07-28T00:00:00.002-05:00

*update* This year the conference is from:
Thursday, September 1st through Monday, September 5, 2011.
Kevin is teaching several sessions. If you want to know more about living holistically and/or being an unschooler, you should come to the conference. I love this conference and think its *awesome*.

Here are descriptions of Kevin's classes. Kevin speaks on many subjects, including Star Trek (www.undiscoveredcountryproject.com) as well as the health benefits of barefoot living. If you want him to teach a session at your event or church, please contact me. :)

So, What Do
Unschooling Parents Do?

Getting out of your child's way, letting them find their own path, avoiding coercion - ultimately, isn't this a passive role? Beyond paying the bills, are there any responsibilities that unschooling parents have? How do we raise children with absolutely no interference, no philosophy and no rules?

Unschooling and the Christian Life

When we seek to encourage liberty for our children, how do we reconcile that with a Christian faith that often seems to take on forms of rigidity and inflexibility? Do guidelines, ethics and values have a place in an unschooling family? What are our responsibilities as parents and followers of Christ as we seek freedom in our families' lives? In this engaging session, we'll explore a view of freedom and responsibility that takes its cues from Scripture, allowing Jesus, the Lord of Liberation, to help us become "free indeed."

Barefoot Living

Connected. Grounded. Confident. Free. These are just a few of the words people use to describe how they feel being barefoot. Who doesn't love kicking off their shoes? But did you know its also a great way to live a naturally healthier life? Running barefoot is popular, but living barefoot is best! Experienced barefooter Kevin C. Neece shares his insights in enlightening sessions on how you and especially your children can live a freer, more natural, healthier life by living barefoot. He'll act as your personal guide to escaping the confines of shoes and finding the whole body benefits of healthy, uninhibited feet!

Barefoot Walk

When we're walking barefoot, we're learning a whole new way to walk. We'll take a barefoot walk outside to experience the Earth (and the city) in all its textures and learn to adapt to a new way of walking, step by step, so everyone can try it out at their own pace. Kevin will answer your questions about various challenges and we'll take turns experiencing different surfaces. Its the way we were designed to walk - barefoot and free!

Prayerfoot Barefoot Prayer Walk

This expression and exploration of contemplative prayer and spirituality through barefoot devotion comes from a Christian worldview perspective, but is open to all who wish to participate. We'll meet together and talk about some of the spiritual aspects of barefoot walking, as well as a brief introduction to the Christian tradition of contemplative prayer. Then we'll spend some time sitting, standing, walking and praying in a unique liturgical setting.

_______________________________
------------------------------------------------
2010 post

I just love the title of this conference.

Because since I turned 30, that's what I do. I rethink everything.

Of course, when I was 20, I changed my major 5 times, but that is not quite the same.

I've changed careers 4 times now - from bridal consultant, to teacher, to librarian, and now to mommy.

But that is not it either. Rethinking everything usually means to reconsider your worldview. To think about something, then take your hand into your mind, and twist it and consider if from another angle. To look at something differently. To walk in others' shoes. To be open to changes. To be just open in general.

God is so awesome that He made our minds to be capable of change. To be capable of Rethinking Everything. To not always be brainwashed into one set parameter, but to consider our options, our choices, and our decisions. And if new info comes our way, we can reconsider it all again. I love that.

Here is a great conference that is actually in the metroplex full of people who like to rethink everything, who are definitely not mainstream thinkers.

Check it out:

http://www.rethinkingeverything.net/

Cluster Headaches - CH Syndrome

2011-07-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

Update June 2011 - So we are out of remission of 3 years, sigh. We are finding one thing that might be helping - Fenugreek pills - 4 pills every four hours. This keeps all congestion away. Then with Sinol, and a special rubbing technique, they are not as bad and they are short.

Update November 2008:
Well, this year we have successfully staved off 4 beginning ones by using this combination. Thought I'd pass it along:
2 Hawthorne pills
2 Cool Cayenne pills
2 Omega 3 1000 mg pills
washed down with Yogi tea's Calming tea combined with yerba mate and other green teas
I've also ordered Sinol - a nasal spray with capsaicin pepper - its suppose to be very promising. We shall see.

Sinol update: This is the best thing we've tried. So far its stopped at least 3 from forming, and seems to have cut short several. Following the directions is useless though - He usually does it twice, then blows his nose, then does it again five more times or so. Then 20-30 minutes later if he's in the middle of one, he'll use it again several times, and will continue to use it intermittently until the pain is gone.
*legal precaution* - I am not a doctor nor do I advocate using a product more than what is recommended. This is just an experience-sharing and what works for him.

For those who suffer migraines: Cluster headaches and migraines are completely separate.
Here is a great resource for migraines:
Spearmint: A new natural anti-migraine remedy

Here is a list of homeopathic remedies for migraines:
http://www.drmomma.org/2008/06/homeopathic-solutions-to-migraines.html

To our friends and family:
Kevin is a seven year sufferer of cluster headaches. *Thankfully* he is an episodic sufferer, and gets them for six weeks in the fall/winter. One of the hardest parts is waiting for them to hit, and praying that they won't. They are very debilitating, and very depressing for him, so if you could cheer him up, give him a call, whatever, that would be great....If he has to leave in the middle of an activity, then at least you will know why. Most people don't quite understand what cluster headaches are, so the following is a great letter that explains it.

From the www.clusterheadaches.com website:

As we all know it is very difficult to explain what it is we go through....
Many look at us as if there is no way in hell something can be that debilitating.

Here is a letter that you can give your employers, colleagues, professors, fellow students that will explain in very simple language what it is that we go through.
How CH is a misnomer!!

It is known to us as "Simon's Letter"
Simon is a UK CH'er who had the wherewithal to develop this perfect letter.

http://www.ouch-us.org/chgeneral/colleagueletter.htm

Here are some helpful websites on Cluster Headaches:

The episodic type, the most common, is characterized by one to three short-lived attacks of periorbital pain (Fig. 6-1) per day over a 4 to 8 week period, followed by a pain-free interval that averages 1 year. The chronic form, sometimes called chronic migrainous neuralgia, which may begin de novo or several years after an episodic pattern has become established, is characterized by the absence of sustained periods of remission. Each type may transform into the other. The cluster syndrome is genetically, biochemically, and clinically different from migraine; propranolol is effective in treating migraine but has not been shown to be effective in cluster headache. Lithium is beneficial for the cluster headache syndrome and ineffectual in migraine. Nevertheless, the two disorders occasionally blend into one in occasional patients (Solomon, 1986), suggesting that their mechanisms bear some degree of commonality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_Headaches

http://www.clusterheadaches.com/about.html

http://www.clusterheadaches.org/

http://www.ecureme.com/emyhealth/data/Cluster_Headache.asp

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/articles/37974-1.asp

http://headaches.about.com/cs/cluster/a/ch_exploding.htm

http://headaches.about.com/cs/diagnosis/a/diary.htm

http://www.w-h-a.org/wha2/index.asp

http://216.25.100.131/members/Sections/members/login/Temp_Frame/frameset_26_06_02.htm

http://www.ouch-us.org/chgeneral/colleagueletter.htm

http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi

From Wikipedia:

Algorithm for diagnosis and treatment from National Guideline Clearinghouse (DHHS)
Clusterheadaches.com, the largest online support group for people with cluster headaches
Organization for Understanding Cluster Headaches, a non-profit education and advocacy group
National Headache Foundation
American Council for Headache Education
Cluster Busters
Some personal stories of dealing with cluster headaches.

What we have used in the past that sometimes works (mosttimes doesn't)

Taurine - in energy drinks - Red Bull

Magnesium supplements

Homeopathic pain relievers - Calming tonic, arthritis pills, etc - can lessen the peak

Benadryl - can sometimes knock him out

Melatonin

This year, we will be trying the above, plus:

a good quality magnesium supplement

Acidoliphilus and a good multivitamin like Garden of Life (at least it will keep him healthy when the pain hits)

and we might try Ambrotose or some type of glyconutrient.

*suggestions are always welcome
*we have no access to oxygen and have yet to try that route

Non-vax links

2011-06-12T15:52:00.000-05:00

I've read a lot of websites, journal articles, blogs, facebook, books, anecdoctal accounts, etc.
I especially like articles that have a lot of info in one place, and the info makes sense. I'll be adding to this list as I find new articles that meet this criteria. Leave me a comment if you have a great article to share.

Some of the best Non-Vax article links -

The Guggie Daily: A Way to Ease into the Vaccine Topic

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2010/05/way-to-ease-into-vaccine-topic.html

Expert Pediatrician Exposes Vaccine Myths

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/14/Expert-Pediatrician-Exposes-Vaccine-Myths.aspx

Life on the Franco Farm: 6 Points I Would Have to Believe Before Resuming Vaccinations

http://lifeonthefrancofarm.blogspot.com/2011/06/6-points-i-would-have-to-believe-before.html?spref=fb

If You Are In Support of Vaccinations, Read This If You Dare — The Healthy Home Economist

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/2010/01/if-you-are-in-support-of-vaccinations/

Books for Expecting Moms

2011-03-04T00:28:00.001-06:00

So, I was asked the other day what books should a best friend buy her newly expecting best bud from Amazon?
Here are my best choices, after quite a bit of research and review. I personally have read over 100 books on pregnancy, birth, and babies, and these I consider the most summative and comprehensive books on the market.

For the regular mainstreamer working mom:
1) The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
2) The Baby Book by Dr. Sears
3) Making More Milk by Diana West
4) No Cry Sleep Solutions by Elizabeth Pantley
5) The Baby Bond by Linda Palmer
Extra:
6) The Business of Being Born by Ricki Lake book and dvd
4) LLL's The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
8) Gentle Birth Choices by Pam England

For the Holistic Mom:
1) The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
2) The Baby Book by Dr. Sears
3) Home Birth by Sheila Kitzinger
4) Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers by Nancy Mohrbacher
5) The Baby Bond by Linda Palmer
Extra:
6) Take Charge of Your Child's Health - Dr. George Wootan
7) The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff

Books that should be burned:
1) What to Expect when you are Expecting - the most scaremonger book out there - I'm surprised it doesn't terrify women into never wanting to give birth....oh wait.....
2) Babywise - um, let see - lawsuits because babies died by parents following this crazy book, plus the author's children no longer speak to them - why do people want to take advice from these parents that do not have a relationship with their adult children - unless that is your ultimate goal as well? I know its not mine.....
3) The Ferber Sleep book - um, even Robert Ferber now says that parents take this book too far. Read Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solutions book instead - unless you enjoy hearing your baby issue blood-curdling screams.....

Baby and Toddler Constipation remedy

2011-01-30T20:13:00.001-06:00

My toddler has constipation issues. Mostly, its because he squeezes and does not let it come out!
Dr. Sears says it takes two months or more to get over the constipation cycle.
Here is a daily regimen that is extremely nutritious and will help with constipation:

Organic applesauce
apricot (fruit, sauce or juice)
Coconut oil (about a tablespoon)
flaxseed oil or ground flax seeds (couple of teaspoons)

He eats this for breakfast, and then throughout the day as a snack between meals until the cup is finished by the end of the day.

And don't forget - bananas and carrots are extremely constipating - I did not know this, or I would not have introduced these foods until at least 2 - he's definitely not going to have them again until around 2!

Fenugreek for congestion

2011-01-30T20:00:00.000-06:00

Fenugreek is amazing - it helps a mother's milk supply - but it is wonderful and has been used for thousands of years for congestion and digestive ailments. I only first heard about it 2 years ago, sigh - why do all these wonderful remedies are just not known among people anymore. It drives me nuts.

My own personal experience with Fenugreek - at the first sign of congestion/sinus issues, take 3 fenugreek pills 3 or 4 times daily for 2 or 3 days, clears up all colds quickly.
Aidan has never been sick in his life, but he was congested for 2 days in his 14th month - I took a lot of fenugreek so it will go through the breastmilk, and I also put a little bit out of a capsule into applesauce. He was only congested for 2 days. I have also heard that Fenugreek sprouts are delicious, so this would also be a good way to get fenugreek in both the baby and in you!

Some great very interesting websites:
http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/free-sprout-information/fenugreek.html
http://www.nutrition.fit-healthy-well.com/fenugreek-relieves-congestion
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/The_Best_Chest_Congestion_Remedies.html

More on Nursing in Public

2010-09-08T19:51:00.001-05:00

I have realized and integrated something important in my conciousness while NIP.

If someone has a psychological disorder towards breastfeeding, whether they acquired it in childhood or as an adult, that is simply not my problem.

If they are struggling with this disorder, and they want my help, I will be happy to supply them with information, and answer any questions. However, as a mother, my baby's needs are going to come first. Period. I have to put my baby's need to nurse as being more important than your psychological disorder. And I do not apologize for that. I don't think apologies are necessary. It is just a statement of fact - I think my baby is more important than you. Big surprise there.
Just as if you were struggling with alcoholism, ocd, bipolar, depression, etc., I would be willing to be a listening ear, but I am not going to let your disorder interfere with me raising and helping my baby.

*PS. My husband wants me to mention that we were at a conference this weekend with mostly attachment parents, and no man acted like some sort of unthinking animal towards NIP. We nursing ladies found it incredibly refreshing not to get ANY looks at all - covered or uncovered. We were able to be in small group discussions (with men) and everyone just acted like it was Normal. It was an incredibly freeing and wonderful situation. A lot of older ladies actually smiled at us with approval. We nursed wherever and whenever, when walking and sitting, while eating and by the pool.
Great conference by the way - highly recommend it - incredibly friendly people. :)
www.rethinkingeverything.net

Oh, another great post I read the other day on NIP:

The Leaky B@@b: My response to all the stupid comments I've never received

leakyboob.blogspot.com

Oh, And

Please remember that it is always a Cultural bias/prejudice to think
breastfeeding past 1 is abnormal. If you think this way, you need to
really think about your attitude/prejudice and maybe do some research.
The baby has no idea that the culture s/he was born into has a bias
against extended breastfeeding. Scientists and anthropologists have
proven that babies and toddlers NEED breastmilk - optimally the minimum
is two years of age and the maximum is usually 7 or 8. Those are the
FACTS, not opinion, not bias. Worldwide, the average weaning age is 4
years old. The baby can not help that s/he is born into a society that
is prejudiced against breastfeeding - the baby just needs what s/he
needs. Like racism and other prejudices, educated people need to help
American society to realize that "extended" (full term) breastfeeding is Normal,
Necessary, and is best for the health of the baby. Optimally, at 2
years of age, the ratio of breastmilk to solids SHOULD be 75/25 to
50/50. If you are extended breastfeeding, there is NO need to give
cow's milk - Breastmilk is way superior to cow's milk.

*In the second year (12-23 months), 15 oz of breastmilk provides:
29% of energy requirements 43% of protein requirements
36% of calcium requirements 75% of vitamin A
requirements 76% of folate requirements
94% of vitamin B12 requirements 60% of vitamin C
requirements-- Dewey 2001

More on Circumcision

2010-08-10T00:45:00.000-05:00

All sanitary reasons for circumcision are debunked. They are just myths repeated. Europe and England has a 1% circumcision rate. Canada is about 10%. They are just as healthy. There are only 3 areas that circumcise baby boys routinely - America, Islamic Muslim, and Israel. All others consider it unhealthy and a human rights violation.
Plus an open wound in a dirty diaper is not sanitary.

In 2005, America's circumcision rate was about 50 percent. Thank God a miracle has happened and in 2009 the circumcision rate is 33 percent. Keep informing and educating people and they will protect their baby boys! We will continue to work hard to get that rate down to less than 1 percent like other nations.

A very small slit on the prepuce in the Old Testament was commanded by God. The circumcision that is practiced today (total removal of the foreskin) started in 200 A.D., way after the New Covenant (through Jesus Christ). Paul called those who circumcise dogs (one of the worst insults of the day) and the New Testament church (as well as the Christian church through the ages until the early 1900s) considered circumcision to be blasphemous, an outright denial of Christ's salvation. Circumcision in America happened because a few doctors and religious zealots decided that it would curb masturbation tendencies in young men. We know how well that worked out. However, circumcision is now known as one of the leading factors in erectile dysfunction in older men, so I guess they got their wish.

Doctors are now finally being taught about the importance of the foreskin in medical school. For years, they weren't. Now most doctors will tell parents that it is a cosmetic surgery, not necessary at all. Unfortunately, 30% of all circumcisions are botched, leading to either more surgeries, or just a botched penis that leads to many sexual problems.

How to Identify Circumcision Damage in the Adult Male
http://www.noharmm.org.../IDcirc.htm

And around 200 infant boys die of circumcision in America each year. For a purely cosmetic unnecessary surgery, that more and more insurance companies are refusing to even pay for (being not medically necessary after all.) They recall every product under the sun if just 3 or 4 babies die - but circumcision gets a free pass? It drives this mommy batty when she thinks about it all.

Circumcision is also a sexual bias against males. There is no difference between female and male circumcision, but females are protected in the U.S., and males are not.

For more info:
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/are-you-fully-informed.html
(a great site that has a lot of the research in one place with a ton of links to authoritative, official sites)

My circumcision posts:
http://melissaneece.blogspot.com/2010/06/circumcision-and-fathers.html
http://melissaneece.blogspot.com/2010/06/circumcision-and-mothers.html
http://melissaneece.blogspot.com/2010/02/circumcision-is-anti-christian.html
http://melissaneece.blogspot.com/2010/02/circumcision-is-human-rights-violation.html
The importance of foreskin:
And here are the medical reasons (and God-given reasons) to be intact as God planned:

The foreskin has numerous protective, sensory, and sexual functions.

...· Protection: Just as the eyelids protect the eyes, the foreskin protects the glans and keeps its surface soft, moist, and sensitive. It also maintains optimal warmth, pH balance, and cleanliness. The glans itself contains no sebaceous glands-glands that produce the sebum, or oil, that moisturizes our skin.11 The foreskin produces the sebum that maintains proper health of the surface of the glans.
· Immunological Defense: The mucous membranes that line all body orifices are the body's first line of immunological defense. Glands in the foreskin produce antibacterial and antiviral proteins such as lysozyme.12 Lysozyme is also found in tears and mother's milk. Specialized epithelial Langerhans cells, an immune system component, abound in the foreskin's outer surface.13 Plasma cells in the foreskin's mucosal lining secrete immunoglobulins, antibodies that defend against infection.14
· Erogenous Sensitivity: The foreskin is as sensitive as the fingertips or the lips of the mouth. It contains a richer variety and greater concentration of specialized nerve receptors than any other part of the penis.15 These specialized nerve endings can discern motion, subtle changes in temperature, and fine gradations of texture.16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
· Coverage During Erection: As it becomes erect, the penile shaft becomes thicker and longer. The double-layered foreskin provides the skin necessary to accommodate the expanded organ and to allow the penile skin to glide freely, smoothly, and pleasurably over the shaft and glans.
· Self-Stimulating Sexual Functions: The foreskin's double-layered sheath enables the penile shaft skin to glide back and forth over the penile shaft. The foreskin can normally be slipped all the way, or almost all the way, back to the base of the penis, and also slipped forward beyond the glans. This wide range of motion is the mechanism by which the penis and the orgasmic triggers in the foreskin, frenulum, and glans are stimulated.
· Sexual Functions in Intercourse: One of the foreskin's functions is to facilitate smooth, gentle movement between the mucosal surfaces of the two partners during intercourse. The foreskin enables the penis to slip in and out of the vagina nonabrasively inside its own slick sheath of self-lubricating, movable skin. The female is thus stimulated by moving pressure rather than by friction only, as when the male's foreskin is missing.
· The foreskin fosters intimacy between the two partners by enveloping the glans and maintaining it as an internal organ. The sexual experience is enhanced when the foreskin slips back to allow the male's internal organ, the glans, to meet the female's internal organ, the cervix-a moment of supreme intimacy and beauty.
Circumcision is not simply the cutting off of useless skin. Author Gary L. Harryman innumerates what circumcision destroys:
***Its connective synechia, which fuses the foreskin to the glans while the penis develops.
***Approximately half of t...he smooth muscle sheath called the dartos fascia.
***Most of the erotogenic nerve endings on the penis, including the densely innervated ridged bands, reducing the sensitivity of the penis to that of ordinary skin.
***Specialized epithelial Langerhans cells, a component of the immune system.
***Thousands of coiled fine-touch receptors, including the Meissner's corpuscles.
***Estrogen receptors--the purpose and value of which are not yet fully understood.
***Ectopic sebaceous glands, which lubricate and moisturize.
***The protective covering of the glans, normally an internal structure. The foreskin shields from abrasion, drying, and callusing, and protects from dirt and other contaminants.
***The entire immunological defense system of the soft mucosa, which may produce antibacterial and antiviral proteins such as lysozyme, also found in mother's milk, and plasma cells, which secrete immunoglobulin antibodies.
***Lymphatic vessels, the loss of which interrupts the lymph flow within a part of the body's immune system.
***The frenulum, the sensitive "V" shaped tethering structure on the underside of the glans is also usually amputated, severed, or destroyed.
***The apocrine glands, which produce pheromones, nature's powerful, silent, invisible signals to potential sexual partners.
***As much as 50% or more of the total penile skin, radically immobilizing and desensitizing whatever skin remains.
***The "gliding" mechanism. If unfolded and spread out flat, the average adult foreskin would measure 15-20 square inches, the size of a postcard. This abundance of specialized, self-lubricating skin gives the natural penis its unique-hallmark ability to smoothly "glide" back and forth within itself, permitting non-abrasive intercourse, without drying out the vagina.
***The pink to red to dark purple natural coloration of the glans.
***10% to 20% of its circumference because its double-layered wrapping of loose foreskin is now missing making the circumcised penis thinner.
*** As much as one inch of the erect penis' length due to scarring and shrinkage from loss of the mobile, richly vascularized foreskin.
***Several feet of blood vessels, including the frenular artery and branches of the dorsal artery, the loss of which interrupts normal blood flow to the shaft and glans of the penis, damaging its natural function and possibly stunting its growth.
*** An estimated 240 feet of microscopic nerves, including branches of the dorsal nerve.
*** Perhaps most importantly, between at least 10,000 to 20,000 specialized erotogenic nerve endings of various types, which can discern slight motion, subtle changes in temperature, and fine gradations in texture.

The foreskin protects the glans AND protects its inner mucosa where the most erogenous sexual receptors are located in the ridged band and frenulum. (Such protection from the sun which harms the receptors). The glans corona has only 15% of the sexual receptors which fight against the populace pain receptors located there. 65%-85% of the sexual receptors are cut off, 85% when the frenulum is scrapped off. The amount of receptors removed are equal to all ten fingertips. (Sorrells et al. "Fine -Touch Pressure Thresholds of the Adult Penis".

Forming a hangman's noose, the erogenous value of the frenulum continues through its connected looped ridged band, decreasing value, with the lessor erogenous value being at the ridged band ventral. The glans corona's erogenous value increases as the ridged band"s erogenous value decreases, thus compensating the difference.

Note: Langerhans cells have been suggested to allow HIV entry as reported in the three African studies on male circumcision and HIV. There are more Langerhans cells in the tonsils yet tonsillectomy is not recommended. Langerhans secrete langerin which has been shown to kill HIV.

The circumcised penis uses 10x the pressure for vaginal intro over an intact penis

One FUNCTION of the DARTOS MUSCLE is it tenses with en erection thereby creating a one piece solid skin tube where any action on the shaft is transferred to the erogenous ridged band which through its loop to the frenulum, this action is transferred to act on the frenulum, all this elicits an orgasmic response. No action on the shaft is wasted these erogenous structures, the ridged band and the frenulum. (Dr. John Taylor "Frenular Delta")

Circumcision always removes all of the ridged band being at the extreme foreskin tip and part to all of the frenulum. Action on the shaft is wasted on these structures. Action must be directly on the frenulum remnant, if any remains.

A new study found that approximately 117 neonatal (first 28 days after birth) circumcision-related deaths occur annually in the United States, one out of every 77 male neonatal deaths. http://www.icgi.org/2010/04/infant-circumcision-causes-100-deaths-each-year-in-us/
some helpful NEW Testament verses:

Galatians 5:2-6: “Pay close attention to me, Paul, when I tell you that if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no use to you. I point out once more to all who receive circumcision that they a......re bound... to the law in its entirety. Any of you who seek your justification in the law have severed yourselves from Christ and fallen from God’s favor! It is in the spirit that we eagerly await the justification we hope for, and only faith can yield it. In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor the lack of it counts for anything; only faith, which expresses itself through love.”

1 Corinthians 7:18-19: “Was someone called after he had been circumcised? He should not hide his circumcision. Did the call come to another who had never been circumcised? He is not to be circumcised. Circumcision counts for nothing, and its lack makes no difference either. What matters is keeping God’s commandments.”

that one just above means if you are already circumcised when you are called into the fellowship of Christ, you should not be ashamed, if you are called into the fellowship of Christ and are not circumcised you should NOT be circumcised!

Philippians 3:2-3: “Beware of unbelieving dogs. Watch out for workers of evil. Be on guard against those who mutilate. It is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus rather than putting our trust in the flesh.”

http://www.drmomma.org/2010/07/biblical-circumcision-information.html

http://www.drmomma.org/2009/10/circumcision-christianity.html

http://www.udonet.com/circumcision/christian.html

http://www.noharmm.org/christianparent.htm

http://www.circumstitions.com/Xy.html

http://www.catholicsagainstcircumcision.org/

Scriptures:
Psalms 139:13-14
Jeremiah 9:24-25
John 7:19-24
Acts 15:1-10
Romans 2: 25-28
Romans 3:29-30
Romans 4: 9-12
Romans 12:2
1 Corinthians 7:18-19
1 Corinthians 12: 18
Galatians 2:1-21
Galatians 5:2-6
Galatians 6:12-13
Ephesians 2:11-22
Philippians 3:2-4
Colossians 2:9-14
Titus 1:10-14

The way to eat at Lubys for cheap

2010-07-07T19:57:00.001-05:00

The nearest restaurant close to our house (fast food does not count) is Lubys cafeteria.
I like Lubys - it has a large open space, walls of windows, very family and baby friendly (the waitresses there love my baby - they exclaim - here comes the good baby! or the smiling baby! etc.) I've never had any trouble nursing there, and its easy to spend a couple of hours there filling out paperwork or just talking. (I wish they had wifi, but they don't. We all need to email them to put wifi in their restaurants.)

We go once or twice a week.

Now how do we do that? Because their entrees are expensive!
Its all about their new salad bar.

My typical salad - a big bowl of mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, grated carrots, eggs, mediterranean olives, broccoli, black beans & corn blend, bacon, and sunflower seeds. With ranch on the side. All this for $2.29.

Or you can get their salad, two sides and a roll meal for $5.59.

And you can substitute a salad for any side, so you can get their daily $5.99 meal with a salad - Kevin often gets the spaghetti deal on Wednesdays - Spaghetti & meatballs, a salad, one side, and a roll.

And right now their kids meal is just $2.99 - including 2 sides, jello, and a drink.
Oh, and
Kids eat free all day Saturday, and $2 kid meals on Wed evenings after 4:30.

So Lubys is a great deal for families right now.

Nursing in Public - my belief system

2010-06-16T15:33:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about breastfeeding in public for the last few months.
I have another post entitled: Facebook: God created breasts for breastfeeding

One, it is extremely hard to do with any modesty if you are large breasted within the first 5/6 months. But it does get better and easier the more head control the baby has. I breastfeed in public very easily now at 8 months. However, a small part of my breast tissue will show because I am large breasted, but no more than any woman who shows cleavage or breast tissue in their everyday wear.

If a woman asks me to cover up, and I know that she shows cleavage or breast tissue in her everyday wear, I am first going to be thinking "hypocrite" in my head, but basically I am just going to say, "I'm sorry but I choose not to do that." However, if a woman who I know is modest in her everyday wear, and is a sweet type of woman, and if I see that she is a bit distressed, then I will be more willing to put a small cloth over the exposed breast tissue.

I will never put a blanket over my child's head because I do not want him breathing reverberated air (carbon monoxide). I do have a nursing cover with a hole on top, and if the baby isn't squirmy (ie yanking it off) I will use it in auditorium type of situation where there are just a lot of people. I will not use it for most situations however, because my child truly believes it is a toy, and will draw all types of attention to us because he is kicking it and yanking it and basically pulling it off.

Women who have problems with breastfeeding women exposing breast tissue in public, but expose their own breast tissue in their everyday wear or in their choice of swimsuits - well, I don't understand it. Personally I believe they must have a problem with the actual act of breastfeeding - that they have a hard time separating the act of nursing the baby with a sexual type of act. I wonder if most women who think that way have had issues with their own breastfeeding, or just chose not to breastfeed at all.

Here is a post I wrote after a friend's husband put in his status "Be discreet, cover your teet," plus a lot of hurtful joking about breastfeeding women in public in the comments following.

There are usually four reasons why you might see more than you want to when a woman nurses in public:
1) She's a new mom and she's just figuring it out - there is quite a learning curve, and it really is hard to learn. One of the reasons why the USA's breastfeeding rate is so abysmally low (and in consequence our infant mortality rate so abysmally high) is that women are afraid of juvenile reactions from men who should know better.
2) Her baby thinks the cover is a toy - completely squirmy,
completely distracted baby makes momma give up the cover quickly. Some babies have no problems with covers, some do. Also, there is a concern with breathing in too much carbon dioxide.
3) Don't suggest using a bottle. Some breastfed babies have not and will not use a bottle (it is called nipple confusion). Some mommies can not pump - babies can get the liquid out, but the pump can't. Mommies should be able to go out in public and feed their hungry baby wherever and whenever they want - oh wait - they can - all 50 states have laws protecting the breastfeeding rights of mothers, exposed or not.
4) Some women just don't care that some men never matured past their teenage years. They are not going to allow some man's opinion dictate how they feed their baby. So they breastfeed however they want to. They figure it is the immature man or woman's problem if they choose to be offended. They believe in the saying, "If breastfeeding offends you, go put a blanket over your head."

And here is the question that I pose that tends to make people leave a breastfeeding woman alone: If God created breasts to nurse a baby, is it a sin if you expose your breasts? And if God doesn't think it a sin, then why should it bother me that you have a problem with it?

I believe, like the subject of racism, that being offended by breastfeeding is a socially, culturally taught thing, usually as a child or a teen. You may live in a community where racism is an accepted norm, but that does not make it right. You may live in a community where breastfeeding is offensive, but that does not make it right.

I see comments like yours and all I can think about are the many, many stories I have listened to and read from women who have struggled with breastfeeding, and I just want to get the word out that there are many reasons behind why a person might see more than they are comfortable with when glancing at a nursing mother. I just think of how many women have been genuinely hurt by comments and jokes like that and basically just wanted to get across that there are other viewpoints. It just makes me sad that people think jokes like the one in your status are culturally acceptable.

And to sum up, here is an article about breastfeeding in public that my husband Kevin wrote that I of course think is brilliant:

Written by Kevin C. Neece:

It is really a sexist view that proclaims that women are intelligent and responsible and can make choices about how they respond to stimuli and that men are just drooling animals, uncontrollably dominated by their passions because they are basically too dull-witted to do otherwise. Saying that men “can’t help it” or “are wired that way” may seem like compassion and consideration for men, but in reality it is a degrading gender bias. The truth is that we should expect all adults to behave like adults regardless of their gender.

As a man, I am personally tired of hearing such views bandied about so easily as though they are not at all bigoted. It may be culturally acceptable, but it is wrong to expect men to be the lowest common denominator of our species. Adult men are expected to be and are often portrayed as no more than college frat boys with families. But college frat boys are just junior high boys with newfound freedom and legal permission. And junior high boys are just elementary school boys with sex drives. So essentially, we are telling men that their progress as a gender is so stunted that they can never truly be expected to grow out of boyhood. This is now excused because we tell them that they are genetically wired to be too stupid to grow up. When you place no expectations of civility and maturity on any human being, they will more often than not respond to those expectations by remaining in the realm of their baser instincts. If, however, people are treated as beings capable of civilized, respectful behavior, they develop as such.

Moreover, the story of human progress tell us that the basic project of being human consists of learning, changing, growing, and trying to become more than what we are. By insisting that men are incapable of advancing themselves in a conscious, focused manner, we are depriving them of their basic dignity as human beings by ignoring their potential to grow in positive, civil and mature directions.

As a man married to a breastfeeding mother, to whom I am very sexually attracted, I can say that simply having developed the mindset of the natural, feeding function of the female breasts has allowed me to consistently view my wife’s breasts as sources of food when seen in a functional context, and as sources of arousal when seen in a sexual context. There has never been any confusion between the two. I did not have to be trained or desensitized. All I had to do was learn about the purpose and beauty of breastfeeding. Were the activity of public breastfeeding more common and accepted in our culture in general, and were our expectations of men inclusive of more than unthinking Neanderthal-like sex drives, there would not be an issue regarding the response of intelligent, civilized men to public breastfeeding. A mother must be asked to do no less than put the needs of her child before other considerations. A man’s response to what he may or may not see for a brief moment is his own to deal with.

The breastfeeding conversation among Christians today tends to focus on nipples, nudity, and naughtiness. Instead, Christians should be about the business of helping to develop a view of breastfeeding as normal, natural, and necessary. Part of that process includes the promotion of breastfeeding as an acceptable, everyday experience. This may create some difficulties along the way for Christians who are now grown men, but it will also help prevent future complications for the Christian men of tomorrow. If our boys are raised in a culture that values and openly accepts the fullest, truest nature of the female breast, we can come one step closer to a world that no longer reduces breasts, and indeed women, to mere sex objects.

Familiarizing the younger generation with a broader understanding of the feeding function of breasts will help to prevent unnecessary and unwarranted sexual temptation in the future rather than creating such temptation by presuming a universally sexualized view of the breast. This is not about a few instances of men being bothered by seeing a little skin. It is about a process of cultural education and development toward a more enlightened future where sex is a natural part of life and not something that dominates our lives in a negative fashion. In this future, breastfeeding is placed in its proper context as a normal and necessary function of motherhood, no longer overshadowed by over-sexualization, nor oppressed by the tyranny of titillation. Therefore, normalizing public views of breastfeeding mothers is a move toward moral responsibility and away from the domination of sexual temptation. As such, it is important that it be carried out, not flippantly or defiantly, but with a focus on awareness, education, and acceptance.

Condensed Version of Pregnancy Research

2010-06-10T15:59:00.000-05:00

Here is a very condensed version of my research. I hope it will help you make all the myriad of decisions you will have to make in the next few months.

Oh, during morning sickness I could only eat a few ingredients - watermelon, tomatoes, fruit, potatoes, organic bread, quinoa, and rice.

If your doctor or midwife says you need protein (some say 40 grams a day, some say 80), do not ever take protein shakes (soy or whey) because they tend to make big 10 pound babies.

Some great sources of protein are quinoa (22 grams per cup, whole foods sells it in their bulk bins), Ezekiel cereal with organic milk or almond milk, or coconut milk, and spirulina powder. Chicken and turkey are good meat sources, but you'll want to stay away from red meat cause it will make your back ache worse, and from fish because of the mercury. I ate fish twice during my whole pregnancy, and i felt guilty for doing it, lol.

I did however take several supplements.
I took Juice Plus because I truly believe it helped me not get sick during my entire pregnancy. No colds or anything.
At the beginning I could barely take any pills, only small capsules or soft gels. I found a few prenatals that came in this form (Nature's Promise health food store on Park Row in Arlington has a few).
Once I hit 18 weeks, I could take pills again (the second trimester is so lovely).
My prenatal of choice is Nature's Plus Source of life Prenatal, because it is Whole Foods based, not chemical, and because you only had to take 2 pills instead of 6, and it is reasonably priced. And they never caused constipation (which is a problem with a lot of prenatals. Iron supplementation usually causes constipation - bad, the type that gives you hemrhoids). But around 20 weeks you can take chlorophyll pills which are a great iron source with no constipation problems. You just have to remember to take them everyday once you start.
I also took Omega 3 Fish oil 1000 mgs 2x daily which helps with your mood swings, growing the baby's brain, and with postpartum depression.
I take Now brand Calcium and Magnesium supplements because they are in softgel form. Calcium and Magnesium really help with leg cramps and back aches.

Best Big all-encompassing baby book:
Dr. Sears The Baby Book
Amazon link
www.askdrsears.com

Two books to avoid because they have a well-deserved reputation for sabotaging the breastfeeding relationship as well as other things, and basically just stupid:
The What to Expect Series
Babywise

Here are my top two favorite websites:
www.kellymom.com - best breastfeeding site
www.drmomma.org - my favorite website for all things parenting related. I've read almost all the articles - I have learned so much from this site - highly recommend browsing thoroughly for several hours.

Also, here are some great birth videos:
You can Netflix Orgasmic Birth (link), Business of Being Born (link) (this one is also available thru Netflix streaming video so you can watch it on the computer), Birth without Violence link, and there is a lot of prenatal yoga videos if you type in pregnancy, and several breastfeeding videos if you type in breastfeeding. :)

Breastfeeding video:
http://www.breastfeedingvideo.com/

Another recommended video:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4067643

Consider taking a breastfeeding class at your local hospital or birthing center.
Two books you must get if you plan on going back to work after the baby is born.
The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More... by Diana West
Amazon linkBreastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws... by Nancy Mohrbacher
Amazon link

This is the best breastfeeding article for working moms:
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/balancing-breastfeeding-when-moms-must.html

And here are the two MUST READ breastfeeding articles:

Ultimate Breastfeeding Preparation Checklist
http://www.bestforbabes.org/checklist/

Breastfeeding Booby Traps
http://www.bestforbabes.org/breastfeeding-booby-traps/

Decisions, not choices

2010-06-10T15:37:00.000-05:00

Found this comment on facebook - love it.

Lorri Carr Personally, I am becoming disturbed at the use of the term "choices", as if we are all automatons who have no options except to select from the "choices" that someone else has pre-determined for us. I think that is faulty logic, and poor semantics, and degrades us into mere robots being told to "pick one of these", or to follow an algorithm (that we did not write) even if the circumstances do not all fit into the boxes.

I believe that whole, thinking human beings make DECISIONS, not choices. Decisions imply thought, questioning, careful contemplation of what one has been able to gather in knowledge prior to coming to a conclusion. Choices implies that the options are already limited by others, and you can only select a preference from the list that is offered to you, and I am offended by that. Perhaps these mothers whose feelings are hurt made choices instead of decisions, and THAT is why they feel like they failed - not because of the choice they made, but because they took the lazy way out and did not think, did not question, and they know it.

For example, if I am told that my "choices" are to have or to not have an epidural in labor, I say that is patently a lie. I can make a decision to explore other options, such as not even being in a hospital at all. My decisions are not limited by anyone else's list of "choices", they are arrived at after much consideration and thought, and usually as much research as I feel is needed to make that decision one that is intelligent and well-informed. Sometimes it only takes a few more split seconds to arrive at a decision than it would take to simply make a choice, so using one's brain works even in an emergency.

I don't offer choices to women, I ask them to think and make real decisions for themselves, because their options are limited only by common-sense safety factors and their own imaginations and physical abilities. A choice is a pathetically weak commitment, whereas a decision has weight and conviction enough to see a mother through a difficult birth.

This is a matter of basic human maturity. If a woman lacks the wisdom to make decisions, it is questionable in my mind whether she is suitable or prepared for motherhood. If it makes her uncomfortable to have to think, then obviously it needed to happen at long last. If it upset her, then she must have needed it. People who made the best possible decision at the time are never that easily upset about it afterwards.

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=428512883668&id=197958149482

Circumcision and mothers

2010-06-01T15:58:00.005-05:00

I and my husband lately have been talking, and the issue of circumcision (I really hate that name, it makes it sound all pretty and clinical, I personally prefer genital mutilation and human right's violation) has really been weighing on our hearts lately. We want to get more involved - in helping people, in educating people, and in the political arena.

Some people I'm sure think that I am judgmental or dogmatic. I'm really not. It just hurts my heart so much and I feel so much compassion towards all those poor baby boys out there and their loving but naive moms.

I especially like just talking about the myths - there are so many crazy myths out there about circumcision, and its so interesting to me when people say, oh, I didn't know that - or - I didn't realize that. Its the same as when I was teaching and a student finally gets that light of understanding in their eyes, and you know that you did your job well that day.

Moms are especially hard. I think a lot of mothers have damaged psyches as well. If they admit that it was something that was wrong, that they deliberately harmed their child, they would have to go through a grieving process and would have to live with the sorrow of that decision. It is easier to cling to their cultural/social/religious biases than to deliberately open themselves up to pain. It takes a strong, intelligent, confident woman to admit that circumcising her sons was wrong. I really feel sorrow and compassion towards both type of mothers - the strong and the weak. Link to help with grieving circumcision

Some moms hang so tightly onto their beliefs, that even if their adult son came to them and said, I wish you had not done this to me, I wish I had my foreskin, I'm going to have to spend a lot of money and work very hard on restoring my foreskin - even if they were armed with this information, and could go back in time knowing what they know now - they still would circumcise. And that is something I barely understand.

Some moms actually have had the gall to say - if he doesn't know what he's missing, he won't miss it. And who's going to tell him that he should miss it but some vigilante mom telling him that circumcision is wrong. That is one of the most sexist statements I have ever come across on a board. I discussed this with my husband, and he says that it is very prevalent today to think of men of being incapable of thinking for themselves. You can be as insulting as you want to men these days - its like some sort of feminist payback. Just turn it around and apply it to women - oh, your family has breast cancer, so we're going to cut off your child's breasts - don't worry, if she doesn't know what she's missing, she won't miss it. Some man might tell her that what was done to her was wrong, but we'll continue to tell her that it is no big deal, and she'll believe us. She doesn't have much of a brain and won't look it up for herself. Etc. Etc. Etc. sigh.
Link to show what "he is missing"
Prepuce video - The Prepuce an informative video
Circumcised men psyche ink

The things that women will say astounds me, especially on the topic of GM. I keep hearing, it should be a parent's choice. Why? Men are suing doctors RIGHT NOW AND WINNING for mutilating their genitals WITHOUT THEIR INFORMED CONSENT. Who cares if a parent gives their consent - as a doctor, they are obliged by their own ethical code to do no harm to their patient without an informed consent. A baby, obviously, can not give consent. So all these doctors are very obviously being sued for malpractice. DUH. Of course, until it reaches the billions of dollars that performing circumcisions bring in, unfortunately, it is all just a drop in the bucket.

I wholeheartedly believe that it should never be a parent's choice and firmly believe genital mutilation on boys and girls should be illegal. Oh no, the government shouldn't have a say in this, women tell me. Well, obviously it needs to be because society are still acting like idiots. Just as binding a girl's feet had to become illegal before the cultural norm was changed, so must circumcision.

Which comes back to helping parents. The most fervent intactivists I know are the ones who allowed their first born to be circumcised, and then discovered too late that it was the wrong decision. They are the ones who are spend countless hours helping educate parents so that those parents don't have to live with regret. Link to Second son, Second Chance

One woman said to me - the controversy over circumcision is just a lot of drama. I don't think its that big of a deal. This statement still gives me a slow burn inside. Just because it is no big deal to you, doesn't mean it is not a big deal to the millions of men with damaged penises, all their grieving, sorrow-filled moms, and all their wives dealing with this issue. Women can choose to be apathetic about issues where other people suffer (abortion, child slavery, domestic abuse, etc) because it is easier to live your lives pretending it doesn't happen, or that it does not pertain to you. One day though many women get their heads out the clouds, and realizes that one of these issues is important to them, and they start getting more involved, and they start making a real difference. This is what I hope the issue of circumcision will be like for me. Life is unfair, but I have always believed that as Christians we should try to make life a little bit more fair. And of course we should always strive to be rewarded with the words "well done, my good and faithful servant."
Link to stories of mothers who regret and are trying to make a difference.

This is a page in progress, I'll be back with more comments and links.

I did not circumcise my son - but I had researched the subject while I was TTC. Who knows what I would have done in my 20s - I knew nothing back then Here is a great article on reasons why not to circumcise your son. 20 reasons why I didn't circumcise my son

And here are the medical reasons (and God-given reasons) to be intact as God planned:

The foreskin has numerous protective, sensory, and sexual functions.

· Protection: Just as the eyelids protect the eyes, the foreskin protects the glans and keeps its surface soft, moist, and sensitive. It also maintains optimal warmth, pH balance, and cleanliness. The glans itself contains no sebaceous glands-glands that produce the sebum, or oil, that moisturizes our skin.11 The foreskin produces the sebum that maintains proper health of the surface of the glans.
· Immunological Defense: The mucous membranes that line all body orifices are the body's first line of immunological defense. Glands in the foreskin produce antibacterial and antiviral proteins such as lysozyme.12 Lysozyme is also found in tears and mother's milk. Specialized epithelial Langerhans cells, an immune system component, abound in the foreskin's outer surface.13 Plasma cells in the foreskin's mucosal lining secrete immunoglobulins, antibodies that defend against infection.14
· Erogenous Sensitivity: The foreskin is as sensitive as the fingertips or the lips of the mouth. It contains a richer variety and greater concentration of specialized nerve receptors than any other part of the penis.15 These specialized nerve endings can discern motion, subtle changes in temperature, and fine gradations of texture.16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
· Coverage During Erection: As it becomes erect, the penile shaft becomes thicker and longer. The double-layered foreskin provides the skin necessary to accommodate the expanded organ and to allow the penile skin to glide freely, smoothly, and pleasurably over the shaft and glans.
· Self-Stimulating Sexual Functions: The foreskin's double-layered sheath enables the penile shaft skin to glide back and forth over the penile shaft. The foreskin can normally be slipped all the way, or almost all the way, back to the base of the penis, and also slipped forward beyond the glans. This wide range of motion is the mechanism by which the penis and the orgasmic triggers in the foreskin, frenulum, and glans are stimulated.
· Sexual Functions in Intercourse: One of the foreskin's functions is to facilitate smooth, gentle movement between the mucosal surfaces of the two partners during intercourse. The foreskin enables the penis to slip in and out of the vagina nonabrasively inside its own slick sheath of self-lubricating, movable skin. The female is thus stimulated by moving pressure rather than by friction only, as when the male's foreskin is missing.
· The foreskin fosters intimacy between the two partners by enveloping the glans and maintaining it as an internal organ. The sexual experience is enhanced when the foreskin slips back to allow the male's internal organ, the glans, to meet the female's internal organ, the cervix-a moment of supreme intimacy and beauty.

circumcision and fathers

2010-06-01T13:19:00.004-05:00

links for mothers whose husband wants to circumcise:
http://www.circumstitions.com/men-vuln.html
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=112410

for daddy:
http://www.fathermag.com/health/circ/gmas/

http://www.noharmm.org/raising.htm

http://www.noharmm.org/appeal.htm

http://www.drmomma.org/2009/10/dads-view-of-circumcision.html

http://www.circumstitions.com/Father.html

http://www.circumcision.org/satisfied.htm

http://www.circumcision.org/femalesex.htm

Whose Body, Whose Rights? video

How to Identify Circumcision Damage in the Adult Male

And here are the medical reasons (and God-given reasons) to be intact as God planned:

The foreskin has numerous protective, sensory, and sexual functions.

· Protection: Just as the eyelids protect the eyes, the foreskin protects the glans and keeps its surface soft, moist, and sensitive. It also maintains optimal warmth, pH balance, and cleanliness. The glans itself contains no sebaceous glands-glands that produce the sebum, or oil, that moisturizes our skin.11 The foreskin produces the sebum that maintains proper health of the surface of the glans.
· Immunological Defense: The mucous membranes that line all body orifices are the body's first line of immunological defense. Glands in the foreskin produce antibacterial and antiviral proteins such as lysozyme.12 Lysozyme is also found in tears and mother's milk. Specialized epithelial Langerhans cells, an immune system component, abound in the foreskin's outer surface.13 Plasma cells in the foreskin's mucosal lining secrete immunoglobulins, antibodies that defend against infection.14
· Erogenous Sensitivity: The foreskin is as sensitive as the fingertips or the lips of the mouth. It contains a richer variety and greater concentration of specialized nerve receptors than any other part of the penis.15 These specialized nerve endings can discern motion, subtle changes in temperature, and fine gradations of texture.16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
· Coverage During Erection: As it becomes erect, the penile shaft becomes thicker and longer. The double-layered foreskin provides the skin necessary to accommodate the expanded organ and to allow the penile skin to glide freely, smoothly, and pleasurably over the shaft and glans.
· Self-Stimulating Sexual Functions: The foreskin's double-layered sheath enables the penile shaft skin to glide back and forth over the penile shaft. The foreskin can normally be slipped all the way, or almost all the way, back to the base of the penis, and also slipped forward beyond the glans. This wide range of motion is the mechanism by which the penis and the orgasmic triggers in the foreskin, frenulum, and glans are stimulated.
· Sexual Functions in Intercourse: One of the foreskin's functions is to facilitate smooth, gentle movement between the mucosal surfaces of the two partners during intercourse. The foreskin enables the penis to slip in and out of the vagina nonabrasively inside its own slick sheath of self-lubricating, movable skin. The female is thus stimulated by moving pressure rather than by friction only, as when the male's foreskin is missing.
· The foreskin fosters intimacy between the two partners by enveloping the glans and maintaining it as an internal organ. The sexual experience is enhanced when the foreskin slips back to allow the male's internal organ, the glans, to meet the female's internal organ, the cervix-a moment of supreme intimacy and beauty.

Circumcision is not simply the cutting off of useless skin. Author Gary L. Harryman innumerates what circumcision destroys:
***Its connective synechia, which fuses the foreskin to the glans while the penis develops.
***Approximately half of the smooth muscle sheath called the dartos fascia.
***Most of the erotogenic nerve endings on the penis, including the densely innervated ridged bands, reducing the sensitivity of the penis to that of ordinary skin.
***Specialized epithelial Langerhans cells, a component of the immune system.
***Thousands of coiled fine-touch receptors, including the Meissner's corpuscles.
***Estrogen receptors--the purpose and value of which are not yet fully understood.
***Ectopic sebaceous glands, which lubricate and moisturize.
***The protective covering of the glans, normally an internal structure. The foreskin shields from abrasion, drying, and callusing, and protects from dirt and other contaminants.
***The entire immunological defense system of the soft mucosa, which may produce antibacterial and antiviral proteins such as lysozyme, also found in mother's milk, and plasma cells, which secrete immunoglobulin antibodies.
***Lymphatic vessels, the loss of which interrupts the lymph flow within a part of the body's immune system.
***The frenulum, the sensitive "V" shaped tethering structure on the underside of the glans is also usually amputated, severed, or destroyed.
***The apocrine glands, which produce pheromones, nature's powerful, silent, invisible signals to potential sexual partners.
***As much as 50% or more of the total penile skin, radically immobilizing and desensitizing whatever skin remains.
***The "gliding" mechanism. If unfolded and spread out flat, the average adult foreskin would measure 15-20 square inches, the size of a postcard. This abundance of specialized, self-lubricating skin gives the natural penis its unique-hallmark ability to smoothly "glide" back and forth within itself, permitting non-abrasive intercourse, without drying out the vagina.
***The pink to red to dark purple natural coloration of the glans.
***10% to 20% of its circumference because its double-layered wrapping of loose foreskin is now missing making the circumcised penis thinner.
*** As much as one inch of the erect penis' length due to scarring and shrinkage from loss of the mobile, richly vascularized foreskin.
***Several feet of blood vessels, including the frenular artery and branches of the dorsal artery, the loss of which interrupts normal blood flow to the shaft and glans of the penis, damaging its natural function and possibly stunting its growth.
*** An estimated 240 feet of microscopic nerves, including branches of the dorsal nerve.
*** Perhaps most importantly, between at least 10,000 to 20,000 specialized erotogenic nerve endings of various types, which can discern slight motion, subtle changes in temperature, and fine gradations in texture.
And occasionally a boy will lose his life from this needless operation. It has been estimated that as many as 209 babies die every year from circumcision and related complications.

pooping in plastic

2010-06-01T01:27:00.002-05:00

My response to a woman who threw away her child's plastic kitchen cause she pooped in one of the kithcen drawers:

Hey, if ever there comes a time when you don't want to throw it away, a good way of cleaning it is to take it outside and take the garden hose to it. Also get a bucket of hot soapy water. Put it in the bucket or pour the water in it and leave it out in the sun for an hour or so. Then dump the water on the grass, and then take the garden hose to it again. Repeat as often as necessary. Then put some vinegar water in/on it for about 15 minutes, and then rinse. Then let it dry in the sun for a few hours. Cleaning anything poopy is just easier outdoors, you don't feel as icky out in nature. :)

Of course, I wouldn't know what to do if the child pooped in a wooden bureau drawer.......

blog giveaways page Ultimate blog party

2010-04-14T16:37:00.000-05:00

Ultimate Blog Party!

My party post: I'm a SAHM with a six month old boy and I am a researcher at heart. My blog is all about my experiences as a researcher, and my experiences as a new mom, plus lots of links to sites on nutrition, birth and more. See my main page http://melissaneece.blogspot.com/2007/09/why-this-blog-exists.html for more information!

I am an alternative mom - I believe in attachment parenting, prointactivism, probreastfeeding, procosleeping, probabywearing, proLive Foods/Raw foods, pro natural health. This all came about through educating myself throughout my early thirties to the present, and meeting wonderful people along the way.

From the Ultimate Blog site:

It is about friendship, growing your network, and having some good old fashioned blogging FUN!
If you are partying with us for the first time… The Ultimate Blog Party has become an exciting tradition in the “Momosphere”. It is a bloggy carnival where participating bloggers publish a “party post” introducing themselves and then party hop through the linky lists meeting other bloggers.

The blogging life is about relationships — meaningful friendships that grow out of sharing who we are and getting to know one another. And like real life friendships, online friends need a place to meet and mingle.

So if you want to grow your network, meet new friends or promote your site, get ready for the Ultimate Blog Party 2010!!!

My Prize List:

US51 – Two winners will receive a lillebaby EveryWear carrier – the carrier you can wear every way, every where. Choose from Style, Sport or Organic.
Provided by: Scandinavian Child

USC 61 – A Sleepy Wrap baby carrier in winner’s choice of color from NAP, Inc.
Provided by: Jana Grayson (Sidetrack’d)

US30 – For one winner a little extra something to use with your Nesting Pillow or on its own, The Nest Egg gives support for your head, arm, breast, or for a little extra height under baby’s head.
Provided by: Blessed Nest

USC 22 – Cushie Pushie Breast Support Pillow for Nursing Moms- a pillow designed to help you gain the correct breast position for easier breastfeeding.
Provided by: Cushie Pushie Company

US101 – One lucky winner will get this $450 Human Touch Foot and Calf Massager that is being given away by Still Blonde after All These Years!, a blog for women over 45.

US39 -Be My Guest certificate ($250 value) for one lucky winner, (2 night stay for a family of four) at any Hilton Garden Inn.
Provided by: Hilton Garden Inn

US74 - We will give away 2 (1 for each winner) – $30 Amazon gift cards to the winner so they can buy items of their choosing.
Provided by: Afullcup.com

US31 – A $20 Amazon gift certificate.
Provided by: Jennifer Sikora (For Such a Time as This)

US32 – $25 Target Gift Card!
Provided by: The Frugal Novice

US52 – A $25 GC to Amazon.com.
Provided by: The Product Review Place

US69 – The Itty-Bitty Bookworm is a literature-based preschool curriculum. One winner will receive a year of our Bo Curriculum for 3-5 year olds. One winner will receive a year of our Bailey Curriculum for 18-36 month olds.
Provided by: The Itty-Bitty Bookworm

USC 8 – $55 E-Gift Card for Amazon.com Gift code will be emailed to the winner and can be used for purchases from Amazon.com.
Provided by: Kelly’s Lucky You

USC 15 – $50 Target gift card to one winner.
Provided by: Haley Quarles of Love, Life, Family…and then some

USC 3 – A $50.00 Target Gift Card.
Provided by: Peggy Gorman

US70 – $25 Kroger Gift Certificate
Provided by: Saidah @ A Proverbs Wife

US73 – We will give away 2 (1 for each winner) – $30 Amazon gift cards to the winner so they can buy items of their choosing.
Provided by: Escalate Network

US84 – One $25 Gift Certificate to Shutterfly.com.
Provided by: Scraps of My Geek Life

US87 – 2 winners will receive a $30.00 Amazon Gift Certificate.
Provided by: Christine/LiveLaughLoveCj

US88 – $25 E-Gift card to Amazon.com!
Provided by: Faith’s Firm Foundation

US104 – Shoot Me Now is giving away one $50 Visa Vanilla Gift Card.
Provided by: Shoot Me Now!

US112 – $50 Amazon Gift card
Provided by: Robyn ~ Our Homeschool Home

US113 – $25 Walmart Gift Certificate
Provided by: Susan Stahley
Follow here: rsmstahley
US114 – $25 Walmart Gift Certificate
Provided by: Mary’s Country Life
Follow here: missunny

USC 35 - $50.00 CASH ~ Paypal Transfer. ($50 USD or current CAD conversion rate)
Provided by: American Muslim Mom

USC 37 – One winner will receive a $50 gift card to Amazon.com on here but that’s not it! There will be many other giveaways listed on my party post that you’ll want to check out!!!
Provided by: Shasher’s Life

USC 39 – A $50 paypal cash prize for one winner.
Provided by: MomDot

USC 40 – $20 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com.
Provided by: SandwichINK

USC 44 – $20 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com.
Provided by: Tara’s View on Books

USC 52 – TOT YOGA, a DVD that teaches yoga for toddlers from 10 months to 3 years old.
Provided by: Tuesdays at Ten, Ltd.

Here are some great giveaways from around the internet.

Enter To WIN:

-In Plain Sight Canvas Travel Bag
-In Plain Sight Luggage Tag
-In Plain Sight T-Shirt
-In Plain Sight Season 1 DVD
-In Plain Sight Season 2 DVD

To Enter:

go to:
http://momstart.com/2010/03/in-plain-sight-prize-pack-giveaway/

Facebook - God Created Breasts for Breastfeeding

2010-04-11T18:34:00.001-05:00

....not as men's personal play toys.

The brouhaha over Facebook deleting breastfeeding photos and closing accounts is heating up. At least it is getting people to talk about it - and perhaps reexamine their thinking and attitudes toward breastfeeding.

Here is a great article:
The Most Obscene Debate on the Internet by Leigh Shulman
http://matadorlife.com/the-most-obscene-debate-on-the-internet/

The comments after this article are also really great - I was up way too late reading them all. At the end of this blog post, I included some excerpts from those comments.

I posted this article on facebook and it actually sparked a discussion among my friends, which of course led me to some deep thinking and so here is a long treatise on how I feel about the whole issue.

Here is another great website: The NIN Project – Nursing Is Normal

http://www.kathyobrien.org/NINgallery.htm

The first part is my first reaction to the article and the group discussion. Then I had a day to think about it and thus, wrote the second part.

First Reaction: I know that I try to nurse discreetly (though large and x-large chested women have more trouble with that) in public, especially in a room where there are men that I personally know. Not because I feel embarrassed, but because I don't want them to feel embarrassed. I'm not quite sure if I should feel this way, ie, if someone has a problem they should remove themselves from the situation, not us (the whole 'put a blanket over your head if you’re offended' slogan) though of course there is a world of difference between offending someone with breastfeeding, and embarrassing your male friends. I think the women that I talk to are more upset about the people who are actually offended by breastfeeding (like when someone compares it to urinating in public, as if urinating and breastfeeding are the same thing) than the people that are just embarrassed (ie, they don't want their male friends to think about their breasts in this way). However, a lot of attitude towards breastfeeding does come from our oversexualized society. The same people that do not have a problem with bikinis and thongs on the beach tend to have major problems with breastfeeding, and that is an ingrained type of problem that I think a lot of women would like to change. I just wonder how much a problem breastfeeding in public would be if everyone just saw it naturally growing up. For 30 to 40 years in America, formula was touted as superior to breastmilk, and nobody breastfed (which is one of the reasons our obesity epidemic is so high) so we all became accostomed to feeding a baby by bottle. I was breastfeeding in front of male children the other day (one was 11) and I wondered about it if it was ok, but as I watched their reactions, it was somewhat neat, because they just continued to play and be themselves, and just acted like it was normal that the baby was being fed this way. I think all their moms breastfed them and their siblings, and so they were just accustomed to it. I think that is the "militant" breastfeeders main goal is just to get people accustomed to breastfeeding, and so that most decent people will think it is something completely normal. What I think is most sad is when I see young women think its completely gross. I definitely would like to see that type of attitude to change.

A Day Later Reaction:

One of the reason that women are upset with facebook is that facebook's policy is simply that the nipple has to be covered. So they allow pasty and tassle clad breasts and string bikinis, but do not allow breastfeeding - even closing the accounts of breastfeeding mothers. This is discrimination, and the reason why they are suing facebook.

I have also found that as a large chested woman with an active baby, it is almost impossible to "nurse discreetly", and I am not going nurse in the bathroom.

It shows how we as a society are when we think of nothing of posting ourselves in a swimsuit or even a bikini on facebook, but are offended by breastfeeding .

It doesn’t help that in America, we have to learn the art of breastfeeding – its very hard work which is why only 1/3 of American women are still breastfeeding after 3 months. Unlike other cultures, our mothers did not teach us how to breastfeed, and so many of us have latch issues at the beginning. Lactation consultants are on the rise as more women are willing to get help in order to feed their baby. As an example of how breastfeeding is portrayed in the media, on the tv show The Office the other day, a male lactation consultant was clinically showing Pam how to breastfeed. She accepted him as a clinical person who knew what he was doing. Jim her husband however had very wrong thinking and had a problem with it. Dr. Jack Newman is a very famous male doctor and lactation consultant and has written many books on the subject of breastfeeding. So there are such things as male lactation consultants.

And that’s another issue – we need to continue to educate men on the importance of breastfeeding so that they will support their wives and girlfriends in this endeavor. It is very hard to breastfeed if you don’t have your male partner’s support. So I think the campaign for more breastfeeding needs to be in two parts – one to educate women that breastfeeding is important for the health of the baby and the mother (google 101 reasons to breastfeed to find out more) and to educate men that breasts are not only for sex and that breastfeeding is normal, natural and there is nothing to be “grossed out” about. The other part of the breastfeeding campaign is to make it easier for women to work and breastfeed. For many women their workplace is not at all breastfeeding friendly. I think the more women insist upon the right to breastfeed, the better off we as a society are. It is the women who will get this change accomplished, and one way is to breastfeed in public, and the other way is to insist that breastfeeding is portrayed as normal in all entertainment mediums. Including facebook.

Back to Facebook -

It should be about the reason behind the exposure. Women in low cut tops that show cleavage are trying to look beautiful and sexy. The aim is to look attractive to others. Same goes for bikinis and halter tops and anything else that shows off breasts.. Breastfeeding mothers however are not showing off their breasts to be attractive, they are simply trying to feed their babies.

Indecent exposure is against the law. But in order for there to be indecent exposure, there must be the opposite – decent exposure. Breastfeeding is considered decent exposure which is why there are laws protecting breastfeeding in public in most states.

I think we do men a disservice when we believe that they are not capable of multi-faceted thinking. Men can see breasts as sexual, but they are also capable of seeing them in different ways. Doctors are very good at this – enjoying their wives’ breasts but seeing all others as simply part of the human body. In fact, if they don’t have that capability, their thinking processes are considered deviant. I think men who are turned on by or uncomfortable with All breast exposure have deviant thinking – they are not thinking right (and were probably not raised around normal breastfeeding). For instance, I myself would have no problem with my husband being in a room full of breastfeeding women. He is capable of thinking of women as being thinking individuals, not sexual objects. He would not be “turned on” by breastfeeding women. I think men who can only think about breasts in one way have deviant thinking and need to be more introspective and figure out why they are that way.

I guess I myself tend to be very introspective. I have greatly different attitudes and perspectives now than the way I thought in my 20’s. Experience and research have taught me a lot, but I have also learned to think things through. If something makes me feel uncomfortable, I dig to the root of the matter and figure out why it makes me feel that way. Is it ok to feel uncomfortable about that, or do I need to change my thinking and expose myself to it more until I feel more comfortable with it. For instance, I always thought it was weird to breastfeed a child past 2 ½ when they really start to talk in complete sentences. Now that I’ve been exposed to older children breastfeeding, and now that I have done the research showing the many benefits of a four or five year old breastfeeding, I now have no problem with women choosing to “full term breastfeed”. Of course, it also helps to have worked with many children ages 2-7 and so many of them have babyish qualities until about the age of 7. Researchers say that children will usually self-wean sometime between the ages of 3 and 7, and that biologically, that is what is suppose to happen – how God created it. It is humans that twisted their thinking and perverted something God has created.

Speaking of God, its interesting (and somewhat difficult) to breastfeed in church.

I’ve been to several churches lately, and it varies widely on what they have for breastfeeding mothers. There was nothing at Tate Springs Baptist, I ended up in a unused classroom, and missed half the service. At the United Methodist of Hurst, they actually have it in the bulletin that you can watch the service in the parlor (with couches). That was nice. At Crossroads of Arlington, they have a tv in the hallway by the nursery. There is a changing station and chairs in front of the tv to watch the service. However, there is also a chair surrounded by screens, that if you sit there, you can’t see the tv, which defeats the purpose. Also, for me, its highly claustrophobic. So I just sat in one of the chairs in front of the tv, and hopefully all know if they come to that hallway, that they might see breastfeeding taking place. What I would really like is if we could all feel comfortable sitting in the service, doing what God intended us to do, what He made breasts for. Since Christ was breastfed, and if we are all to emulate Christ, churches should always encourage breastfeeding mothers. Hopefully one day, breastfeeding will become so normalized that people won’t see it as sexualized at all, and nobody will feel uncomfortable and can feed their baby wherever they want to.

I guess my main thought was that I believe that children should be exposed to as much breastfeeding as possible so that they will grow up thinking that it is a normal and natural process that should be encouraged. I want my son to have a "don't mind me, its ok" type of attitude towards breastfeeding. I don't want him to grow up thinking its sexual or perverted in any way, that a woman has to go off and hide if she wants to breastfeed.

Personally, I'd rather breastfeed in the car in public if I'm by myself because then I can listen to the radio. Its boring to sit on a bench and nurse in public. However, in the Texas heat this summer, that might be another story....

As far as breast exposure goes, I think my attitude towards it was shaped very early in life by seeing so much art work in the museums across Europe during my teenage years. Breasts and breastfeeding has traditionally been portrayed as being beautiful (especially Mary/Baby Jesus portraits) in all classical art. I guess I just don't see it as sinful if a man catches sight of my breast if I'm breastfeeding. I think intent is important - ie, if I'm showing my breasts to entice a man to have sex vs. I'm showing my breast to feed my baby.

Also, breastfeeding for me is validation. I've always had these great big annoying breasts that have hurt my back and make idiotic men stare at my chest and make it hard to exercise, swim, dance, or do anything fun. I've never thought they looked very attractive, they were just there to be put up with. Breastfeeding finally gives them purpose and meaning and a revelation of "oh, that's what God created them for" type of mentality.

Here is my husband's point of view towards the attitudes of facebook and other issues. He is a freelance writer (contact me if you want him to write for you) and a manuscript editor (contact me if you want him to edit for you). I just love his post, and would love to see it published somewhere. This is the type of attitude more men need to have towards breastfeeding!

From Kevin C. Neece:

It is really a sexist view that proclaims that women are intelligent and responsible and can make choices about how they respond to stimuli and that men are just drooling animals, uncontrollably dominated by their passions because they are basically too dull-witted to do otherwise. Saying that men “can’t help it” or “are wired that way” may seem like compassion and consideration for men, but in reality it is a degrading gender bias. The truth is that we should expect all adults to behave like adults regardless of their gender.

As a man, I am personally tired of hearing such views bandied about so easily as though they are not at all bigoted. It may be culturally acceptable, but it is wrong to expect men to be the lowest common denominator of our species. Adult men are expected to be and are often portrayed as no more than college frat boys with families. But college frat boys are just junior high boys with newfound freedom and legal permission. And junior high boys are just elementary school boys with sex drives. So essentially, we are telling men that their progress as a gender is so stunted that they can never truly be expected to grow out of boyhood. This is now excused because we tell them that they are genetically wired to be too stupid to grow up. When you place no expectations of civility and maturity on any human being, they will more often than not respond to those expectations by remaining in the realm of their baser instincts. If, however, people are treated as beings capable of civilized, respectful behavior, they develop as such.

Moreover, the story of human progress tell us that the basic project of being human consists of learning, changing, growing, and trying to become more than what we are. By insisting that men are incapable of advancing themselves in a conscious, focused manner, we are depriving them of their basic dignity as human beings by ignoring their potential to grow in positive, civil and mature directions.

As a man married to a breastfeeding mother, to whom I am very sexually attracted, I can say that simply having developed the mindset of the natural, feeding function of the female breasts has allowed me to consistently view my wife’s breasts as sources of food when seen in a functional context, and as sources of arousal when seen in a sexual context. There has never been any confusion between the two. I did not have to be trained or desensitized. All I had to do was learn about the purpose and beauty of breastfeeding. Were the activity of public breastfeeding more common and accepted in our culture in general, and were our expectations of men inclusive of more than unthinking Neanderthal-like sex drives, there would not be an issue regarding the response of intelligent, civilized men to public breastfeeding. A mother must be asked to do no less than put the needs of her child before other considerations. A man’s response to what he may or may not see for a brief moment is his own to deal with.

The breastfeeding conversation among Christians today tends to focus on nipples, nudity, and naughtiness. Instead, Christians should be about the business of helping to develop a view of breastfeeding as normal, natural, and necessary. Part of that process includes the promotion of breastfeeding as an acceptable, everyday experience. This may create some difficulties along the way for Christians who are now grown men, but it will also help prevent future complications for the Christian men of tomorrow. If our boys are raised in a culture that values and openly accepts the fullest, truest nature of the female breast, we can come one step closer to a world that no longer reduces breasts, and indeed women, to mere sex objects.

Familiarizing the younger generation with a broader understanding of the feeding function of breasts will help to prevent unnecessary and unwarranted sexual temptation in the future rather than creating such temptation by presuming a universally sexualized view of the breast. This is not about a few instances of men being bothered by seeing a little skin. It is about a process of cultural education and development toward a more enlightened future where sex is a natural part of life and not something that dominates our lives in a negative fashion. In this future, breastfeeding is placed in its proper context as a normal and necessary function of motherhood, no longer overshadowed by over-sexualization, nor oppressed by the tyranny of titillation. Therefore, normalizing public views of breastfeeding mothers is a move toward moral responsibility and away from the domination of sexual temptation. As such, it is important that it be carried out, not flippantly or defiantly, but with a focus on awareness, education, and acceptance.

Sleep number giveaway on Mom Start

2010-04-08T17:31:00.000-05:00

Really amazing blog giveaway on the Mom Start blog. http://momstart.blogspot.com

http://momstart.com/2010/04/select-comfort-makers-of-the-sleep-number-bed-p5-mattress-giveaway/

Enter To Win:

Queen Sleep Number p5 bed set, + UPS shipping (ARV $2,059.97)
Comes with the Wireless Remote; This is the perfect bed to relax because each side can be adjusted to the exact level of comfort, support and firmness you want at the touch of a button.
Comfort Layers

11-inch European-style™ supersoft pillowtop features a knit that’s breathable to help you sleep comfortably.
A full two inches of our exclusive Intralux® comfort material responds quickly as you move.
Three unique zones naturally support your body’s curves.

To Enter:

Go to

http://momstart.com/2010/04/select-comfort-makers-of-the-sleep-number-bed-p5-mattress-giveaway/

Literacy and Breastfeeding

2010-04-01T00:05:00.002-05:00

I wrote this on my other blog post (scheduling and breastfeeding), but I liked it so much I thought it should have a page of its own. lol.

Another thought about scheduling breastfeeding - one mom told me, that yes she heard that some moms have trouble with babywise methods, but her babies did fine with them. Its like literacy in schools. Some kids will learn how to read no matter what curriculum you use, even if its dumb, while other children will greatly struggle with said curriculum. Some children will learn how to read by only spending a few minutes a day on reading skills (ie. the usual elementary school setting) while other children need intensive one-on-one attention for hours a week in order to master the most basic of skills. Are these children wrong to need this? Are we "spoiling" them by spending time teaching them to read? The other children get along fine with just basic classroom instruction, why can't they? Is it all just a waste, should we let them just slip through the cracks, never knowing how to read? Sure, just let them feed/read for a few minutes every 3 hours, they'll survive - but will they thrive? Is that not how illiteracy multiplies - by assuming all children can learn alike, is that not how breastfeeding is sabotaged - by assuming all children can feed alike? But what if every child had intensive one-on-one attention - the complacent ones, the ones that do just fine on a few minutes of learning every day, would they not then greatly exceed their potential? If every baby was fed on demand, would those babies not only go beyond thriving, beyond their potential, and make us marvel at what they can truly accomplish?

- I was a Reading Specialist for several years, as well as a first grade teacher. I plan to start tutoring again soon, please contact me if you have a child that struggles to read.

Scheduling Breastfeeding

2010-04-01T00:01:00.003-05:00

Here's a post I made on a website that welcomed comments from dissenting viewpoints. Her main problem was that she is a woman who needs to have control in her life (like most American ambitious/career-oriented women) and so scheduled feedings for every 3 hours. Some babies do ok being fed every three hours, but I have read so many anecdotes from women whose breastfeeding relationship was sabotaged by trying to schedule feedings. After all, when you think about it, we eat when we are hungry, why can't baby? I don't know about you, but I hate the painful feeling in the tummy when its empty, I can't imagine what a newborn baby feels about it.
What are they doing that is so important anyway? Women keep saying that all their time is spent with the baby (hello?) and they can't get anything done. So housework is more important than baby? Grocery shopping more important? Television more important? I finally got my kitchen back the way I like it at around 20 weeks of age, and I finally tackled several piles of laundry around the same time. Baby and I went on our first grocery store trip together when he was 18 weeks old. I always sent my husband or went when baby was sleeping before that. Believe it or not, I am a bit of a control freak in that I want to know what is ahead, and plan for it accordingly. I guess reading about newborns prepared my expectations in that I expected to be "tied down" to the baby for the first few months. And I wouldn't change it for the world. Women need to expect to give most of their attention to the baby - their life as they once knew it is over, and a new life (and in most ways, a better life) has begun. Oh, don't get me wrong, when he is available, baby often goes to daddy for a little mommy alone time, but I have always breastfed my baby when he is hungry.

Another thought about scheduling breastfeeding - one mom told me, that yes she heard that some moms have trouble with babywise methods, but her babies did fine with them. Its like literacy in schools. Some kids will learn how to read no matter what curriculum you use, even if its dumb, while other children will greatly struggle with said curriculum. Some children will learn how to read by only spending a few minutes a day on reading skills (ie. the usual elementary school setting) while other children need intensive one-on-one attention for hours a week in order to master the most basic of skills. Are these children wrong to need this? Are we "spoiling" them by spending time teaching them to read? The other children get along fine with just basic classroom instruction, why can't they? Is it all just a waste, should we let them just slip through the cracks, never knowing how to read? Sure, just let them feed/read for a few minutes every 3 hours, they'll survive - but will they thrive? Is that not how illiteracy multiplies - by assuming all children can learn alike, is that not how breastfeeding is sabotaged - by assuming all children can feed alike? But what if every child had intensive one-on-one attention - the complacent ones, the ones that do just fine on a few minutes of learning every day, would they not then greatly exceed their potential? If every baby was fed on demand, would those babies not only go beyond thriving, beyond their potential, and make us marvel at what they can truly accomplish?

From my post:

Hi. Yes, from what I have discovered most moms that schedule baby feedings (every 3 hours) often have trouble with their milk supply. A lot of babies won't even put up with this because breastmilk digests completely in about an hour and a half so they are starving and they let you know it within 2 hours of the last feed. So if you must schedule, plan on every 2 hours in the beginning, but it is usually best to "feed on demand" for the first 8 weeks. I think this is nature's way of telling moms to slow down, rest a lot, and take care of their babies. Hysterectomies, cysts, and other uterus problems are on the rise because moms don't rest enough after giving birth - we also have one of the highest maternal death rates in the industrialized world - all because we don't rest enough after birth. As one midwife put it, if the big gaping wound that is our uterus could be seen on the outside, people would gasp and insist on bed rest for weeks. Because it can't be seen, moms are expected to do too much, and breastfeeding on demand really helps moms get the rest she requires, and the baby the milk he needs. Anyway, I digress, I've read countless stories like yours of how feeding a baby every 3 hours diminishes milk supply and then mom needs to supplement. However, all moms that I know that feed on demand have no supply issues (and if they do for a day, fenugreek often takes care of it) and often can breastfeed exclusively with no solid foods for 6 months to 12 months, depending on the baby's dietary needs (some families with food allergy histories need to exclusively breastfeed for a year or more with no solids or formula supplementation, this is with doctor approval and many cultures around the world naturally do this anyway).
I also know moms who breastfeed triplets exclusively - yes, this does mean she is tied down to those babies for a few months - but what is a few months of being with baby vs a lifetime of other experiences? Having a newborn and a baby is worth taking 6 months or so to devote exclusively to that baby - anybody who is TTC for 2 years or more would tell you that they would give anything and give up any experience to be able to be with a baby "on demand" for a few months of their life. I was TTC for 3 years and in the process befriended a lot of other TTC women so I know what I am talking about. What's a movie/theater going experience or a business presentation worth in comparison to having a baby? Not much in my mind.

I find that a lot of people's experiences depend on what type of culture they are surrounded with - those who have people who encourage moms to breastfeed, stay home and enjoy their baby and all their friends do this as well have a lot easier time breastfeeding than the moms who are surrounded by those with expectations that because she has a degree she is expected to have a career and that formula feeding is ok.

Also, a breastfed baby from the beginning does not gain the same weight as a formula fed baby - the range for breast fed babies is 4 oz to 10 oz a week (from 1 to 4 months)- either one is ok as long as they are peeing and pooping. Then from five months on it is about a pound a month. Which could mean he might gain 2 oz one week, and 8 oz another and that is ok. Most moms rely on www.kellymom.com for basic information on breastfeeding.
If you want more information on attachment parenting, babywise, or the CIO method, www.drmomma.org is a great site for research.

Also, http://www.kellymom.com/store/reviews/books-to-avoid.html shows you books to avoid that would sabotage your breastfeeding relationship (including baby whisperer and babywise). And http://www.promom.org/bf_info/stinkers.htm . Obviously following a 3 hour schedule sabotaged your own breastfeeding relationship by supplementing (I feel for you on that one!) but hopefully you can get back on track - http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/decrease-formula.html

Babywearing is also great for nursing on the go, once you get the hang of it and the baby has good head control, you can nurse while babywearing.

Here is a great article for moms going back to work - http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/balancing-breastfeeding-when-moms-must.html
The comments after the article are great too.

Here are two great sites that lists great books on breastfeeding (most of which I have read)
http://www.drmomma.org/2009/08/books-for-breastfeeding-mother.html

http://www.kellymom.com/store/reviews/index.html

This book is new and really fantastic on helping moms increase their supply. I have lactation consultant friends who rave about it and give it to all their clients that are having milk supply issues.
The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk by Diane West.

oh, and I love discovering science like this - it is truly miraculous the relationship between mother and child:

Ground breaking lactation research demonstrates that there is an intricate method of communication in the saliva of a baby that triggers mother's milk production via receptors on the areola. This communication signals all of baby's needs to mother by way of hormones and enzymes (and likely things we have not even begun to understand). How much milk your baby needs, the fat/calorie composition he requires today, what specific antibodies he needs a boost of, the immunological properties he requires most right now -- it is all transferred to you and your body's amazing milk making wisdom via your baby's suckling at your breast.

Your baby's nutrition, brain, and immune system needs change on a day by day, hour by hour basis. Therefore, it is always best to breastfeed anytime, any day, anywhere that baby expresses the desire. Nurse on demand. This is baby's only way to regulate her needs -- and she can do so quite perfectly if simply given the opportunity.

Babies nurse for 3 reasons -- hunger, thirst, and comfort. Suckling differs between these three needs and infants are skilled at nursing in just the right way to meet their particular moment's need. You may have noticed the deep, hard sucking that occurs when baby is very hungry. Or the shallow, light sucking when baby just needs a drink. Especially if you are not using an artificial nipple substitute for comfort (plastic pacifier) at home, you have likely watched in wonder at the light, butterfly flicker of your baby's tongue, or the gentle fishy-lips as baby nurses gently for comfort and security. Each style of nursing serves an important purpose for your baby.

from Dr.Momma's website:
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/balancing-breastfeeding-when-moms-must.html

oh, by the way, those that like the methodologies of ezzo, hogg, and ferber, often have great success with the following book, and unlike those three authors, this book has the stamp of approval of most breastfeeding sites as one that will not sabotage the breastfeeding relationship. No Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help your Baby Sleep through the Night by Elizabeth Pantley, and The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers by Elizabeth Pantley.
My own personal experiences:

Only now, at five months, do we have one period of time during the day where he can go for 3 hours without feeding (I marvel at the moms who schedule all their baby's feedings every 3 hours - that would not have worked for my son.). He is now usually 1.5 to 2 hours between feedings, and he sleeps 8 or 9 hours at night.
He was a Cluster Feeder (go to www.kellymom.com for definition of cluster feeding) from the very beginning, and for the longest time could only go 45 minutes to an hour inbetween feedings during the day. He still has at least 2 x 40 minute long sleep nursing sessions during the day. But he has always gotten good sleep at night.

My baby met all the sleep milestones according to weight - most people don't realize that it is not age that matters but weight. So as a newborn at 8 pounds, he slept 3 hours, at 10 pounds at 2 months he slept 5 hours, at 12 pounds at 4 months he slept 7 hours, and at 5 months at 14 pounds he slept 8 to 9 hours - all exclusively breastfeeding. And you could tell the 48 hours when he hit a growth spurt, it would be about 4 hours at night. Some moms that have 10 pound babies at birth get great sleep from the very beginning - 6 to 8 hours every night, other moms that have 5 or 6 pound babies at birth only get 3 hour stretches for months and months until their baby finally gets to be 10-12 pounds (which might not be until 5-7 months).

Excerpts from Strategic Approach to end Circumcision in Canada

2010-03-29T00:09:00.001-05:00

Check out the whole article at the Dr Momma website - I bow to the master of great research. She makes me humble. :)
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/03/strategic-approach-to-end-infant.html
Interesting excerpts:
This approach went into effect 2 years ago. As of today, Canada has drastically reduced their rate of MGM so that now about 9% of baby boys born nation wide are cut at birth. This compares to about 49% of baby boys born in the United States who continue to be subjected to circumcision surgery at birth.

The practice of neonatal circumcision has come under increasing fire lately for two reasons:

Scientific studies have shown that circumcision removes specialized sexual tissue.

Canadians are becoming increasingly aware of the need to promote and protect human rights.

The case against infant male circumcision is not being given a fair hearing by the authorities. This document outlines a strategic approach to obtaining such a hearing in court.

BACKGROUND

The debate over circumcision has focused on medical pros/cons, parental preferences, and religious beliefs. Our goal is to direct attention to the ethical, legal, and human rights issues raised when part of a normal organ is summarily removed from a person who has no medical need for surgery and who is legally incapable of giving informed consent. For the most part, these critically important issues have been ignored.
Work done in Canada to date suggests that none of the agencies involved in regulating infant male circumcision (colleges of physicians and surgeons, human rights commissions, children's advocates, children's aid societies, ministers of health, ministers of justice, solicitors general) are prepared to show leadership on this issue. Consequently we believe the only way to bring about change is through the judicial system.
We propose a legal challenge to section 268 of the Criminal Code of Canada on the grounds that this section is insufficient in scope. Section 268 prohibits all forms of female genital mutilation (FGM). The basis of the challenge would be that section 268, as written, fails to protect males from genital mutilation and thus contravenes at least one provision of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms—namely, section 15(1), which guarantees equality between the sexes. It is highly probable that section 268, as written, also contravenes section 7 of the Charter, which guarantees security of the person.

*For measures being taken in the United States to end legalized MGM (male genital mutilation) of infant boys, see MGMBill.org. FGM (female genital mutilation) continued in the United States until it became illegal and punishable as a crime with the FGM Bill in 1996.

*One man who sued and won tells his story here.

Excerpts from

Circumcision: A Male RN's Perspective by Chris, author of The Man-Nurse Diaries

http://www.drmomma.org/2010/03/circumcision-male-rns-perspective.html

Before having my first son, we were presented with the decision (at least in the United States) of whether or not to circumcise him. While we were initially assuming we would, we did some research. We began finding that not only is male infant circumcision almost never medically necessary, but it's not even performed in most of the developed world. The majority of European countries never began circumcising in the first place. The United Kingdom doesn't pay for it; it's an out-of-pocket expense. The United States is the only secular country that routinely circumcises males.
Never once did I encounter an adult male patient who had ever had a medical problem due to being intact.

Excerpts from the comments section (good stuff!):
.

Katie Anne said: As a peds nurse who has also witnessed the horrors of infant circumcision, I appreciate others standing up and speaking. It really does take us within the 'system' to make change happen. I feel a responsibility to my patients (I work alongside OBs in Labor & Delivery) to give new parents whatever information I have at my disposal. For me, it is that I have seen many, many babies damaged by circumcision surgery. Some cannot or will not nurse after. Some lapse into coma from the pain and become withdrawn, sleeping full days. Most never have their parents aware of what they have experienced (and why they are now 'different') because we make sure they are stable before taking them back to the parents waiting in the other room. Like Chris, I also spent time in training working with elderly men - both in a nursing homes and in the hospital. Many were intact because they were born before the surge of genital cutting in the United States. NEVER did I witness someone with complications or issues (or all these fears) from being intact. Foreskins do not cause 'problems' in men anymore than the clitoris/labia cause 'problems' in women. I noticed this other post from a nurse-in-training: http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/day-i-withdrew-from-nursing-school.html I can certainly appreciate why she would withdraw from the program. Sometimes it is almost too much to bear. But I also applaud those, like Chris, who are working within the system to invoke change. We CAN bring awareness to parents that we meet, and slowly bring an end to something that (as Chris said) only happens in such a way in the U.S.These comments all remind me of the clear horrors captured on camera by Patti Ramos not many months ago during a Plastibell circumcision procedure... http://www.doulapattiramos.com/2009/11/circumcision-warning-very-graphic.htmlThank you to all the doctors and nurses speaking up on behalf of our children.

Excerpts from Balancing Breastfeeding: When Moms Must Work

2010-03-29T00:05:00.001-05:00

This article is fantastic and chock full of great information. I shared it on facebook, and highly recommend that you share it with all working moms out there! The comment section has great suggestions as well! - Melissa

Balancing Breastfeeding: When Moms Must Work

The following excerpts are from Dr. Momma's website from an article she wrote. Read the whole amazing article here:

http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/balancing-breastfeeding-when-moms-must.html

1) His natural habitat is on your chest and anywhere but close to you is not 'home' to him. The breastfeeding relationship and your milk supply is set in the first 4 weeks post-partum. This means that those first 30 days are absolutely essential for laying a good foundation for the rest of life (literally). Your body is busy balancing milk supply and getting the amount perfected during this first month. Everything is fairly 'set' after this time - babies tend to consume more milk at each feeding, but generally do not eat more overall throughout the day after their first 30 days earthside. This means that it is much more difficult to increase milk supply after the first 4 weeks. Therefore, plan ahead and start pumping/freezing (additional tips on this below) as soon as possible after birth (or even before birth if you so desire).

2) See this list of excellent choices of books for breastfeeding moms. One book that I give to everyone I know is Breastfeeding Made Simple. If you read no other book but this one, get it in your hands and the knowledge within into you head. My other top pick for breastfeeding mothers is The Baby Bond. This book will empower you with research info needed to encourage you to keep at it along the way.

3) Rent a hospital grade breastpump, such as the Ameda Elite. Hospital grade pumps are specifically designed to increase milk supply and keep it high during times when baby is not regularly nursing. This is essential for mothers who are returning to work. I cannot emphasis this enough. Far too often I've seen mothers with the best of intentions who are lugging around their latest Target purchase and the non-hospital grade pumps that you buy at Target, WalMart, Babies R Us, etc., are simply NOT designed for the breastfeeding mother who is returning to work and needs to pump daily. Yes, they will market them to you. Your cash is good for them too. But don't be fooled - those are the pumps that are meant for occasional use (for the weekly baby sitter bottle, for example). They are not meant for daily use by working mothers who must be apart from their baby. So, right now - go find your nearest options to rent a hospital grade pump. The Ameda Elite just happens to be my favorite, but others are also available such as the Hygeia EnDeare and the Medela Symphony and Medela Lactina.

4) Babywear! When you are able to be with your baby (as much as possible) sling him. This serves several important functions for infant development (motor, mental, hormonal, cardio, respiratory) and also decreases SIDS risk in the first year of life. But just as important, babywearing has an impact on YOUR hormones and thereby your milk supply. Being close to baby - actually holding and touching and carrying him with you wherever you go causes the two of you to be in close harmony with each other hormonally. Baby is able to regulate your milk supply through this perfect dance of pheromones. In addition, baby will be happier, more content, more at ease, relaxed, and sleep better, the longer and more often you babywear. Again, babies natural habitat is on your chest.

5) Share Sleep! This is another monumentally important factor in hormone regulation that impacts milk production and baby's roll in the breastfeeding relationship. Night time is the time when hormones naturally kick into high gear and milk production is at its peak (often women will find they pump the most upon waking in the early morning hours). In addition, night time can be a special quiet bonding time between you and baby - even while asleep. Babies are acutely aware of mom being close to them and sharing sleep serves many important regulatory and health functions during the first year of life (in addition, like babywearing, sleep sharing reduces the risk of SIDS).

There are many reasons for this - one of which is milk production regulation, and another is for baby's access to mother's milk during night time hours is when his brain is growing most rapidly. Brain research tells us that the same hormones that impact growth spurts and neuro activity during sleep are those that encourage an infant to nurse and intake all the good stuff needed to support this night time development. Night nursing (or just sleeping near baby) shifts your hormones into high milk-production gear and keeps them going during the days and weeks when you are not near your little one during day time hours.

There are many options for sleep sharing arrangements. You can share a flat, firm bed surface if you have mattresses on the floor and arrange them near a wall where they cannot shift or move. Do not cover baby with a blanket or have her head too close to your pillow - leave her some space of her own, but feel free to nestle in next to her when she nurses. You can also place a separate co-sleeper bed next to your bed. Or you can arrange a separate baby mattress next to your bed mattress (again, on the floor so they do not shift around). Parents who already have a crib can move this next to their bed (between the wall and bed for security) and drop one side to use as a co-sleeper.

[See more info on turning your crib into a side-car/co-sleeper here.]

6) There is yet another reason to breastfeed (even when solely for your baby's comfort) as often as possible. Ground breaking lactation research demonstrates that there is an intricate method of communication in the saliva of a baby that triggers mother's milk production via receptors on the areola. This communication signals all of baby's needs to mother by way of hormones and enzymes (and likely things we have not even begun to understand). How much milk your baby needs, the fat/calorie composition he requires today, what specific antibodies he needs a boost of, the immunological properties he requires most right now -- it is all transferred to you and your body's amazing milk making wisdom via your baby's suckling at your breast.

Your baby's nutrition, brain, and immune system needs change on a day by day, hour by hour basis. Therefore, it is always best to breastfeed anytime, any day, anywhere that baby expresses the desire. Nurse on demand. This is baby's only way to regulate her needs -- and she can do so quite perfectly if simply given the opportunity.

7) Try to nurse your baby immediately before leaving him for the day. If you also pumped recently (within the last couple hours) you can give this fresh milk to your baby's care provider and simply have them leave it out and feed to baby or place in the fridge within 6 hours.

Fresh milk is especially beneficial to provide for your baby if s/he gets sick. Again -- the immunological needs are expressed to you from baby via nursing. Your milk immediately changes its antibodies/antiviral/antibacterial composition to meet baby's needs. Therefore, when you or your baby is sick, it is even more important than ever to nurse often and provide fresh milk whenever possible. Healing will be faster and health will be exponentially better.

8) Fenugreek. Fenugreek is an herbal supplement that has long time been used to increase milk supply among nursing mothers. It has been given the rating of GRAS by the FDA (generally recognized as safe). A few mothers may experience light headedness if they take fenugreek on an empty stomach as it is also used to calm stomach troubles and seems to interact with blood sugar levels in some people.
Take 3 capsules of 500mg each 3 times a day (1500mg each meal) when you are trying to increase milk production. This is more than the amount recommended on the Fenugreek bottle because it is marketed as a stomach aid - not as a milk production booster. If you solely wish to supplement your current milk supply, or you feel like 1500mg/3 times a day is too much for you, it doesn't hurt to take less and see what works for you. I've worked with many women who experience dips in milk production during their periods (this is normal as milk production is hormone-related). During their menstrual cycles, these women added Fenugreek to their daily regimen, but typically in smaller quantities (1000mg/3 times a day for example).

The saddest story

2010-03-25T01:21:00.002-05:00

This story just gets to me. It really does.

From Jack Newman's book, The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers :

By the time our third had been nursing over three years, my wife would ask him gently, from time to time, if he wasn't tired of it, if he wasn't a big boy who didn't need to nurse anymore. At those times he would look up at her, and, without letting go of the breast, would smile at her and then continue nursing. One day, for no obvious reason that I could ascertain, instead of smiling, he burst into tears and said, "No, not today, tomorrow." And he never nursed again after that day. He did ask from time to time, but it was without conviction and he didn't insist.
p.314-5.

I do believe in child-led weaning, but the above story just, I don't know, gets to me. I guess because I can see it played out in my head, and I just feel for that little boy. He sounds so forlorn. I like the ending to the following story better.

From Sarah J. Buckley's Book, Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering :

A few months before his fourth birthday, Jacob announced, "You can stop giving me baboo now Mummy." "Okay, but what if you change your mind?" "Just say no," he advised me. So the next time he asked, I did this to which he replied, "I didn't mean it, Mummy!" *and they continued to breastfeed for several more months*. p. 244-5

When will I wean? I have no idea, its all a process, an experience. I know philosophically I would like for it to go beyond the age of 3 for health and emotional reasons, but as I said, its all a process. I'm greatly enjoying finding out information currently though on "full term breastfeeding" (a much better phrase than extended or long term breastfeeding).

In response to comment: I know, but I hate it when children sound forlorn. True forlornness in a child is actually a rare emotion, and he just sounded so forlorn.

Breastfeeding vocabulary

2010-03-14T01:21:00.002-06:00

It annoys me when people use "breastfeeding" vocabulary in the wrong way.

Though I do think its somewhat funny that WIC uses "exclusively breastfeeding" for those moms feeding their babies solid foods and breastfeeding. Just because you are not using formula, does not mean you are still exclusively breastfeeding. Exclusive means exactly that - only breastmilk, nothing else including any type of food or water. sigh.

Then people also use the term Extended breastfeeding very loosely. The official medical authorities uses the term "Extended breastfeeding" for breastfeeding a child over 2 years of age. A lot of people use the term for breastfeeding a baby past six months. lol. The official medical authorities consider it normal and even actively promote breastfeeding to at least 2 years of age. Everyone else thinks you are either heroic or crazy to breastfeed past the age of 6 months. sigh.
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/03/aafp-statement-breastfeeding-beyond.html

Swings for Colic

2010-03-01T17:52:00.012-06:00

So my son has slept at night and for naps in a swing since he was 6 weeks old. The first six weeks he slept on one of us, but I have a bad hip, and just couldn't physically do it anymore. Swings for colicky babies are wonderful.
Here are some tips:
1) Get a good swing, one that is specifically made for infants/newborns.
Graco Sweetpeace swing or
Fisher Price cradle swing
Fisher Price Glider Swing

2) Get a White Noise noisemaker. We always played this when we put him in the swing, and then again if he starts to get fussy. If he's truly hungry, it won't make a difference.

3) Put plenty of padding and a good infant head insert in the swing. We have a soft fleece blanket and several quilted baby blankets for him to lie on. Boppy makes a good head insert.

3) At 20 weeks, we have now started to not swing him - and he is sleeping fine just in the swing without the movement. It took several nights of me waking up when he got fussy and turning on the white noise noisemaker . Now he sleeps in the swing his usual 6 or 7 hours (he's exclusively breastfed) without getting fussy without the movement. Our next goal is to move him to the bed. I'll let you know how that works out.

4) Most importantly, this swing needs to be beside your bed. You need to be there for your baby. Yes, the swing makes an annoying noise, but to me, its a small price to pay for everyone to get good sleep.

Top Healing foods

2010-03-01T17:11:00.001-06:00

So I got an email today from Jinjee - its one of her daily inspirational emails from the www.gardendiet.com website - and she discusses her top five most healing foods. I actually disagree with her however. So I thought I'd make my own list of the top healing foods.

1) Watermelon - this restores your ph balance from acidic to alkaline
2) Young Coconuts - both the water and the meats - this is like a blood transfusion - restores electrolytes.
3) Dates and blueberries - extremely high in antioxidants
4) Avocadoes - these are a known uterus healer, as well as a brain booster
5) Lemons - in moderation - this restores the alkalinity of the body, but you must be careful of teeth enamel
6) Kale - extremely high in calcium
7) Dulce - puts useable iodine in your body, helps the thyroid
8) Organic apples - many benefits

I also believe in a probiotic supplement, a digestive enzyme supplement if you eat cooked foods, a vitamin D supplement and an omega 3 supplement.

Baby Supplies for a new mom

2010-02-18T08:58:00.003-06:00

As a person that has little money and is very frugal (I love garage sales and craig's list!) here is a list of my own personal "must haves" as a new mom.

1) A Swing - couldn't live without it - Swings are great for 6 weeks olds and up....
Graco Sweetpeace swing or
Fisher Price cradle swing
Fisher Price Glider Swing

2) a Sling - 3 types - a pouch, a ring sling, and pack carrier type. Each one is great - for a certain type of person. Your best bet is to try some out first before you buy - either at a store, or with friends.
Ergo Baby carrier w/insert or
Moby Wrap or
Balboa

3) Boppy or My Brest Friend - Boppies are good for football holds, My Brest Friend is good for cradle holds.

4) Stroller - for really long walks in the neighborhood - otherwise, build up those muscles with a backpack style sling like Ergo.

5) Contoured Changing Table Pad - my baby for some reason loves this pad - we have 2 - one for changing diapers, and one for the bed for sleeping. They also fit perfectly in the Eddie Bauer Traveling Bed, which is convenient when they are small as well as when you need to go to the restroom.
4 sided design - LA Baby, Summer Infant

6) Receiving blankets or crib blankets - I find these convenient for propping baby's head on the Boppy while feeding. But some old t-shirts work just as well.

7) Recliner - If you are large-breasted, recliners are wonderful for the football hold. I practically lived in mine for the first few weeks. Also, putting an extra Boppy under the knees relieves the stress on your knees and legs - a Boppy just happens to be the perfect height, and is more solid than a pillow. Also check out the site Biological Nurturing for a great way to recline, sleep, and breastfeed all at once. http://www.biologicalnurturing.com./Pages/howtodoit.html

8) what about a crib? well, as co-sleepers we don't believe in them - but some moms find it convenient to sidecar their crib right next to the bed. I also find it convenient to use a changing table pad for him to sleep in-between us. Other moms like Arm's Reach bassinets. A quiet swing next to the bed can also be helpful. If your room is big enough, consider putting a twin bed or double bed right next to yours - then you have a really big bed!

9) Clothes of course - lots and lots of them - garage sales, bulk lots on Ebay and Craig's List. And clothes are usually the number one item at baby showers. One dad told a friend of mine - we don't need so many baby clothes, we should take some back - he changed his tune after the first few leaky diapers. I personally like creepers with zippers - so much faster than a bunch of snaps

10) carseat of course - Britax brand is considered the safest.

11) Bumbo - I find this very convenient for the bathroom when the baby can finally hold his head up. And he's so proud of himself when he is in it - I love his facial expressions!

12) Most important of all, couldn't live without - a White Noise maker of some type. Make your own cd, buy a cd, or buy a noisemaker. Some swings have them built in. But we take ours everywhere - in the carseat and in his swing.

13) My number one purchase when I was pregnant is my Leachco u-shaped pregnancy body pillow. I still use it - it provides the most comfortable sleep.

The Book Cover - a Homeschooling Curriculum Bookstore in Tarrant County

2010-02-17T18:11:00.000-06:00

The Book Cover is a great store to get both Used and New curriculum for homeschooling, or for teachers.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Richland-Hills-TX/The-Book-Cover/61694671790?ref=mf

Website: http://www.the-book-cover.com

Location:: 5113 Davis Blvd
North Richland Hills, TX, 76180
Phone:: 817-428-4328
Tues - Sat:: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Here's one of their deals for February 18th:
Be sure and make plans to come out to The Book Cover this Thursday night from 7-9 p.m. We'll be having our monthly Mom's Night Out for moms only to come and shop, relax and enjoy some refreshments. AND, as an added bonus, this MNO will kick off our super clearance sale. For this sale, if you purchase $10 worth of regularly priced merchandise, you get a bag/box full of items from the clearance tables FREE! This sale starts on Mom's Night Out and continues through the weekend. So grab your school book list and while you are finding things you need for later in the school year or for next year, load up a bag of clearance items for FREE!

Academic Paper presented at Dallas Baptist University

2010-02-17T10:51:00.000-06:00

I am available as an inspirational speaker to speak on topics such as birth, fertility, holistic living, breastfeeding, etc.
I like speaking to small, medium and large groups - MOPs, La Leche meetings, church groups.
Click on "Contact Me" button to contact me about speaking to your group

I am presenting a paper entitled:

"Labor of Learning: Research Meets Experience for a First Time Mom"

at Dallas Baptist University
International Student Center

on Saturday, February 27, 2010

2:20 PM

13th Annual Paideia College Society/University Honors Program Spring Student Conference, Friday-Saturday, February 26-27, 2010. http://www3.dbu.edu/naugle/pcs_schedule.htm

The conference theme is "Desiring the Kingdom"

Conference keynote speaker: Dr. James K. A. Smith, professor of philosophy, Calvin College (http://www.calvin.edu/~jks4/), speaking on his new book Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Baker Academic 2009)

Conference musical guest: acclaimed singer/song-writer, Tom Kimmel, Nashville, TN (http://www.tomkimmel.com/index.html)

Breastfeeding Diet and Recipes for Mothers

2010-02-17T09:16:00.014-06:00

Breastfeeding Diet for colicky babies

I am a dedicated breastfeeder. Though I had some problems in the beginning, at four months we are both doing fine. I found www.kellymom.com to be one of the best breastfeeding information sites.

Aidan is a "colicky" baby - he is also high needs/ high touch.

I have found that what I eat affects him greatly. As a mom, I am willing to do anything to help my baby be as healthy as can be, so I am willing to sacrifice all my favorite foods. On the upside of this, I am eating healthier than ever before -and I am losing weight!

I have found that I can NOT eat: dairy, wheat, corn, beef, gassy foods, soy, peanuts, apples, onion, garlic and more. As you can imagine, that leaves out most processed foods. It amazes me how much food contains either dairy or onions. :P

Di-Gize oil by Young Living on the bottom of his foot helps colicky babies A LOT! In my experience, in the midst of a colic attack, I can continue to breastfeed him within 30 minutes of application, after which he drops off to sleep.
An article on Di-Gize: http://mamalovesoils.com/monthly-oils/di-gize-december/129

I also like the Happiest Baby on the Block techniques. www.happiestbaby.com
Happiest Baby DVD

Here is Dr. Sears' version of the Elimination Diet:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t041200.asp

Another big plus, besides days and days of being colic-free, is no diaper rash. Oftentimes it is the foods you eat that give the baby diaper rashes.

And here is my version:

These are the things I regularly eat and does not give the baby any trouble:

1) Quinoa - (pronounced keen-wa) - very important. This is a grain that is a complete protein and its gluten free. I eat a bowl of this twice a day. That's at least 50 grams of protein! This is also a great pregnancy food for meeting the protein quota. I usually add in :

Christopher brand Eggs (660 mg of Omega 3s per egg!) found at Krogers*

or Chicken

or Turkey

and/or Organic Peas and Carrots (for convenience, I can find this in a bag in the frozen section of Whole Foods and Central Market).

* some babies cannot tolerate eggs - and some babies give off smelly poots with egg consumption

*Also organic rice can be eaten instead of quinoa, but it does not have the protein or the vitamins that quinoa has - but sometimes, you just want to eat something different!

Buy on Amazon: Bob's Red Mill Organic Grain Quinoa, 26-Ounce Packages (Pack of 4)
Arrowhead Mills Quinoa, 14-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6)
Quinoa - 10 Lb Bag / Box Each
RiceSelect Organic Texmati Brown Rice, 36-Ounce Jars (Pack of 4)

2) Salad - I eat Organic Kale, Romaine, and/or Green Leaf Lettuce with Cucumbers, tomatoes, raw sunflower seeds, avocado, boiled egg, and Enjoy Life brand Crunchy Flax cereal sprinkled on top.

The only dressing I have found (in the regular dressings and organic) that does not contain onion or garlic (both of which Aidan can't stand) is Ken's Restaurant Light Honey Mustard. This is not the most healthy dressing out there, but since I eat most everything else healthy, I am just going to ignore the unhealthiness of this dressing.

Buy on Amazon: Ken's Lite Honey Mustard Drss - 6 Pack

3) Cereal - Enjoy Life brand Koala Rice cereal (chocolate, yum!) with either almond milk or So Delicious Coconut milk. I also like sprinkling Enjoy Life brand Crunchy Flax cereal on top.

Buy on Amazon: Perky's 100% Natural, Crunchy Flax Cereal, 10-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)
Pacific Natural Foods Naturally Almond Non-dairy Beverage, Low Fat Vanilla, 8-Ounce Pouch (Pack of 24)

4) Fruit - pears, peaches, tomatoes, blueberries, watermelon, grapes. No apples or apple juices. I also like Knudsen's brand Pear juice and Knudsen's brand Pineapple Coconut juice. I also like organic white grape juice. I ate tomatoes every day of my pregnancy which is probably why he can tolerate them.

Buy on Amazon: R.W. Knudsen Family Pear, 8-Ounce (Pack of 27)
R.W. Knudsen Family Pineapple Coconut, 32-Ounce (Pack of 12)
Knudsen, Juice Pineaple Coconut, 8-Fluid Ounce (24 Pack)
Santa Cruz Organics White Grape, 32-Ounce (Pack of 12)

5) Coconut Milk - when we can afford it, I love the So Delicious brand of Coconut milk products - coconut milk yogurt, kefir, coffee creamer and ice cream.

6) Potatoes - preferably organic - either regular potatoes, or I buy frozen organic french fries or organic tater tots. I like the 365 brand of mayonaise with them because it does not contain onion or garlic.

7) Avocados - I like avocado in my salad. My own special version of guacamole is avocado, tomatoes and lemon juice (or lemon powder - True Lemon brand). Since I can't eat corn, I eat this with carrot sticks or the

Terra brand of Exotic Vegetable chips.

8) Treats - Enjoy Life brand of Semi-sweet chocolate chips - this satisfies my chocolate craving, and there is no dairy involved. A $5 bag can usually last me 2 weeks.

Larabars - these are raw food bars with nothing in them but nuts and dates. These are great for the purse in case you get hungry running errands. There is nothing in any restaurant that I can eat except french fries, and salads with no dressings, and even then, I have to be careful.

Mount Hagen Organic Decaffeinated Instant Coffee with So Delicious Coconut Milk creamer

Knudsen's Fruit Spritzer sodas

Buy on Amazon: Enjoy Life Baking Chips, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, 10-Ounce Bags (Pack of 12)
Larabar Fruit & Nut Food Bar, 1.8-Ounce Bars (Pack of 16)
Mount Hagen Single Serve Organic Instant Coffee Sticks Decaffeinated, 25-Count, 1.76 Ounce Boxes (Pack of 4)
R.W. Knudsen Spritzer Vanilla Creme, 12-Ounce Cans (Pack of 24)

9) Vegetables - Peas, Carrots, Squash

10) Condiments -

365 brand of mayonnaise in an upside down bottle - this is the only mayonnaise I found that does not have onion or garlic.

True Lemon - though this has maltodextrin, its one of the only spices I could find that tastes good on avocadoes. Did you know that all Lemon Pepper spice blends have onion?

Sea salt - of course!

Smart Balance Light - this is a dairy-free margarine.

Buy on Amazon: True Lemon Crystallized Lemon Substitute, 10.7-Ounce Canisters (Pack of 2)

11) Fruit Smoothies and Green Smoothies - just experiment until you find fruit that doesn't disagree with baby. Costco usually has organic frozen fruit at a relatively decent price.

My favorite smoothie recipes as well as other great dairy-free recipes are in the recipe book by Serene Allison - Rejuvenate your Life! (Link)

*disclaimer - I will admit that some of the things listed here aren't "super healthy" but when there are so few things that can actually be eaten I think an 80 percent healthy ratio is good enough.

*contact me if you want the Microsoft Office version to print out. Please contact me if you want hand-outs for your group.

*also, if you actually want to cook (though with a new baby, I don't have time to do more than cook eggs and quinoa) here are some great gluten free, dairy free cookbooks:
Mastering Your Gluten and Dairy Free Kitchen: Easy Recipes, Chef's Tips, and the Best Products for your Pantry
Gluten-Free & Dairy-free for the Frugal and Lazy Cook: Healthy Eating-Eating for Life
The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook: More Than 150 Recipes That Are Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Egg-Free, and Low in Sugar
How to Eat Well Again on a Wheat, Gluten and Dairy Free Diet

Thrush remedies

2010-02-16T15:41:00.002-06:00

Also see www.kellymom.com for the answers to many breastfeeding questions.

My favorite remedy is coconut oil. Put organic coconut oil on the nipples and in baby's mouth before and after every feeding until the thrush is gone.

Grapefruit seed extract diluted is also suppose to work, but its really bitter while coconut oil is sweet.

Coconut oil is also great for on the neck yeast rashes and for cradle cap.

All these things are caused by yeast in the body, and its best if mom takes grapefruit seed extract and probiotics in capsule form 3x daily to get rid of it systemically. For baby, its best just to use organic coconut oil.

Baby Wise is anti-Christian

2010-02-15T18:17:00.002-06:00

Been reading all about Babywise philosophies - what is so sad is that so many churches have embraced this insane program. Basically, it is medically unsound and has led to so many babies to the hospital for failure to thrive, following the program dries up a mother's milk within a few weeks, and most of all, the program alienates the babies from their parents.

American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a warning against Babywise stating that following such a program leads to babies failing to thrive and dying.
http://www.drmomma.org/2009/12/babywise-linked-to-babies-dehydration.html

another interesting article:
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/taking-down-babywise-hero.html

and another:
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/confessions-of-failed-babywiser.html

Babywise: From what I've read, the author's (Ezzo) children supposedly no longer speak to them, they have been kicked out of two churches, many lawsuits have been filed, Focus on the Family rails against them - and yet this program is still around - and worst of all is being touted as "christian" -Jesus would have died if Mary had followed the Baby wise program.....please spread the word against this program....

The Best Cheap Diapers

2010-02-15T16:02:00.000-06:00

The best cheap diapers are the ones from Kroger - The Comfort for Baby brand.
The regular price is $7 for 42
or $7 for 36 of the environmentally friendly chlorine free kind.
Both of these work really well for my long and lean baby.

But the reason why I like these better than Pampers or Huggies is because they don't have that weird baby powdery chemically smell. I've been reading how the disposable diaper smell can actually lead to infant asthma and/or breathing problems.

Oftentimes, you can get these on sale for $6.50, and then you can go with your mom or grandmother to get the 10% off Kroger brand Senior Citizen discount. So then its $5.85 for a bag - which makes the chlorine-free ones 16 cents and the regular ones 14 cents.

My thoughts on infertility

2010-02-15T10:47:00.002-06:00

My thoughts on infertility: (this is my own personal experience and what worked for me, I was TTC for 3 years, and I know that TTC is a hard, painful, very personal journey and different things work for different people) -
I know that eating avocado everyday for 4 months before I conceived my son really helped in the conception. Avocados are a known uterus healer. I also ate watermelon everyday, as it is a known overall body healer. I was basically 80% raw foods (see my page) before my conception - this was after 3 years of TTC. I conceived on January 13, 2009, on the 16th day of my cycle, 3 months into my raw food journey. My husband and I were also drinking fruit and green smoothies which I believed also helped. I was drinking raspberry leaf tea every day. As well as taking certain vitamin supplements. I figured if I wasn't willing to sacrifice all my favorite foods, then I wasn't doing everything I could to try to conceive. I wanted a child, and was willing to change my lifestyle in order to achieve pregnancy. After all, your lifestyle completely changes after the baby is here anyway. Then I had to sacrifice even more foods and treats after the baby arrived to be on a colic-free Breastfeeding diet. The first 20 weeks of my pregnancy really helped with that though as I could only eat 8 foods total (fruit, tomatoes, organic bread (didn't know about the gluten thing at the time), rice, oatmeal, potatoes, ham, watermelon) without being nauseous. I really wish I had known about quinoa at the time, I believe it would have helped. So all these weeks of sacrificing food - before conception, during pregnancy, and now during breastfeeding - well, lets just say it gets easier over time. But I still miss pizza. :)

My thoughts: Its easier than you think to live without gluten, breads and grains. I think the thing I miss most though is delivery pizza. :P But now there are gluten free pizza breads so that you can make your own pizza as a special treat, etc. Check out my Breastfeeding diet page for more ideas on how to live a gluten-free lifestyle.
The hardest thing of course to give up is white sugar. Some say it is easier to give up cocaine than it is to give up white sugar. I still haven't given it up completely - I have fallbacks on caffeine free sodas, cake and donuts. I didn't even like donuts before I started eating healthy, and now, every now and then, I'll crave one. I've probably eaten a dozen donuts this past year, which is weird for me. The main thing about indulging white sugar cravings is to be careful with it, don't go overboard. And try a piece of fruit first, or eat a meal. Sometimes when I get really hungry is when I start craving things that I know that are bad for me - so just don't get really hungry. Also, don't go to the grocery store hungry, and don't buy things to bring home. If you are going to indulge a craving, go out for it, don't bring it into your house.

Here's an interesting article on infertility: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/02/23/can-foods-contribute-to-infertility.aspx

And here is a good beginner plan for a gluten-free diet: http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/beginner.htm

I read a bunch of natural fertility books - each one has different tips and strategies - and they are all interesting. I'll post more on that later. Here is my previous page on fertility books.

Interesting infertile couple article

2010-02-15T09:18:00.001-06:00

Millions of people have celiac disease, but most don’t know they have it, in part because symptoms can be so varied. It is an often overlooked digestive disorder that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, is eaten.
Infertility seems to be more common in women with untreated celiac disease. Other gynecological and obstetrical problems may also be more common, including miscarriages and preterm births.
For men, problems can include abnormal sperm -- such as lower sperm numbers, altered shape, and reduced function. Men with untreated celiac disease may also have lower testosterone levels.
The good news is that with proper treatment with a gluten-free diet and correction of nutritional deficiencies, the prognosis for future pregnancies is much improved.

Sources:
New York Times February 3, 2010

My thoughts: Its easier than you think to live without gluten, breads and grains. I think the thing I miss most though is delivery pizza. :P But now there are gluten free pizza breads so that you can make your own pizza as a special treat, etc. Check out my Breastfeeding diet page for more ideas on how to live a gluten-free lifestyle.

More thoughts on infertility: (this is my own personal experience and what worked for me) - I know that eating avocado everyday for 4 months before I conceived my son really helped in the conception. Avocados are a known uterus healer. I also ate watermelon everyday, as it is a known overall body healer. I was basically 80% raw foods (see my page) before my conception - this was after 3 years of TTC. My husband and I were also drinking fruit and green smoothies which I believed also helped. As well as taking certain vitamin supplements. I figured if I wasn't willing to sacrifice all my favorite foods, then I wasn't doing everything I could to try to conceive. I wanted a child, and was willing to change my lifestyle in order to achieve pregnancy. After all, your lifestyle completely changes after the baby is here anyway. Then I had to sacrifice even more foods and treats after the baby arrived to be on a colic-free Breastfeeding diet. The first 20 weeks of my pregnancy really helped with that though as I could only eat 8 foods total (fruit, tomatoes, organic bread (didn't know about the gluten thing at the time), potatoes, ham, watermelon) without being nauseous. So all these weeks of sacrificing food - before conception, during pregnancy, and now during breastfeeding - well, lets just say it gets easier over time. But I still miss pizza. :)

Here's the rest of the article: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/02/23/can-foods-contribute-to-infertility.aspx

And here is a good beginner plan for a gluten-free diet: http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/beginner.htm

Circumcision is anti-christian

2010-02-07T19:02:00.003-06:00

I believe that circumcision as is done today is wrong, barbaric, abusive, and sinful. Anybody who does any research at all will find this to be true. I come across many websites, but this one is unique in that it talks about religious reasons why NOT to circumcise. This blog has many more articles on the subject of circumcision.
Thankfully, Americans are starting to listen and only about half now
are circumcised - meaning the other half are NOT circumcised. That number is decreasing every year as more parents are no longer ignorant and are educated in the subject. In Europe and England 99 percent are NOT circumcised. One day soon, it will be
the circumcised male that will be made fun of in the locker room, not
the intact male.
From the article:
If you are Christian, you will find that
circumcision is FULLY against what early Christians taught. Jesus
followers, the New Testament, and the early Christian Church were unquestionably opposed to genital cutting in any form.
It is Jesus who is the 'New Covenant' between God and his people, and
participation in the Old Covenant (by shedding the blood of your
newborn, for example) is to deny Christ's existence, authority, and
power in salvation.

"Cutting the Blessing" among the Hebrews in antiquity was done in a
MUCH different fashion than in modern U.S. culture where we amputate
the entire prepuce organ. Hebrews and early Jews made a very tiny slit
in the tip of the prepuce to allow for mere drops of blood to be shed
as the blood sacrifice of the covenant.

The Hebrew words used
for this practice in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) are "namal" and
"muwl." Namal means 'to clip' - like one would clip the tips of your
fingernails. Muwl means 'to curtail, to blunt.' Neither of these words
mean "to cut," "to amputate," "to remove," "to cut off," etc. There
were very different Hebrew words with clearly understood meanings
representing 'the cutting off' or 'the removal of' something. The
difference was plainly obviously to those practicing and writing about
the practice at the time.

peaceful parenting: Jack Black on Circumcision

drmomma.blogspot.com

I would encourage anyone who believes they are genitally cutting their infant for religious reasons to dive into the subject further."Cutting the Blessing" among the Hebrews in antiquity was done in a MUCH different fashion than in modern U.S. ...

here's some more links:l

http://www.cirp.org/pages/cultural/christian.html

http://www.udonet.com/circumcision/christian.html

http://www.noharmm.org/christianparent.htm

http://www.noharmm.org/education.htm

http://www.coloradonocirc.org/files/handouts/Christian_Parents_and_the_Circumcision_Issue.pdf

Here is a link that cites resources on Christianity and circumcision: http://drmomma.blogspot.com/2009/06/information-on-circumcision-for.html

and another:
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/02/christians-baptism-not-circumcision.html

Here's a great book on the history of Circumcision:
Circumcision: A History of the World's Most Controversial Surgery

And here are the medical reasons (and God-given reasons) to be intact as God planned:

The foreskin has numerous protective, sensory, and sexual functions.

· Protection: Just as the eyelids protect the eyes, the foreskin protects the glans and keeps its surface soft, moist, and sensitive. It also maintains optimal warmth, pH balance, and cleanliness. The glans itself contains no sebaceous glands-glands that produce the sebum, or oil, that moisturizes our skin.11 The foreskin produces the sebum that maintains proper health of the surface of the glans.
· Immunological Defense: The mucous membranes that line all body orifices are the body's first line of immunological defense. Glands in the foreskin produce antibacterial and antiviral proteins such as lysozyme.12 Lysozyme is also found in tears and mother's milk. Specialized epithelial Langerhans cells, an immune system component, abound in the foreskin's outer surface.13 Plasma cells in the foreskin's mucosal lining secrete immunoglobulins, antibodies that defend against infection.14
· Erogenous Sensitivity: The foreskin is as sensitive as the fingertips or the lips of the mouth. It contains a richer variety and greater concentration of specialized nerve receptors than any other part of the penis.15 These specialized nerve endings can discern motion, subtle changes in temperature, and fine gradations of texture.16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
· Coverage During Erection: As it becomes erect, the penile shaft becomes thicker and longer. The double-layered foreskin provides the skin necessary to accommodate the expanded organ and to allow the penile skin to glide freely, smoothly, and pleasurably over the shaft and glans.
· Self-Stimulating Sexual Functions: The foreskin's double-layered sheath enables the penile shaft skin to glide back and forth over the penile shaft. The foreskin can normally be slipped all the way, or almost all the way, back to the base of the penis, and also slipped forward beyond the glans. This wide range of motion is the mechanism by which the penis and the orgasmic triggers in the foreskin, frenulum, and glans are stimulated.
· Sexual Functions in Intercourse: One of the foreskin's functions is to facilitate smooth, gentle movement between the mucosal surfaces of the two partners during intercourse. The foreskin enables the penis to slip in and out of the vagina nonabrasively inside its own slick sheath of self-lubricating, movable skin. The female is thus stimulated by moving pressure rather than by friction only, as when the male's foreskin is missing.
· The foreskin fosters intimacy between the two partners by enveloping the glans and maintaining it as an internal organ. The sexual experience is enhanced when the foreskin slips back to allow the male's internal organ, the glans, to meet the female's internal organ, the cervix-a moment of supreme intimacy and beauty.

Circumcision is a Human Rights Violation

2010-02-07T18:06:00.008-06:00

There are only 2 causes that I would ever hold a sign for in a protest - Pro-Life and Circumcision. In my mind, they have almost the same weight. They are definitely both human right violations!

a Quote from a blog:
We have banned all forms of genital cutting of baby girls in
the United States since the 1990s with our FGM Bill. This includes any
genital cutting done for religious reasons on a non-consenting person.
Don’t baby boys deserve the same protection? This is what our MGM Bill
would do http://www.mgmbill.or...g
Genital cutting and the amputation of a healthy, functioning body
organ from a non-consenting human being is a severe violation of human
rights. If we did such a thing to a dog, we would be charged with
animal abuse. And what we do to babies due to our own ignorance is
certainly more criminal than that.

Male circumcision as we know it, and female circumcision in the
United States actually share a VERY similar history. All the myths we
now toss around concerning MGM, we once held about FGM. http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/history-of-female-circumcision-in.html

There are many reasons that a large percentage of the developed
world today has a ban on ALL forms of genital mutilation on
non-consenting persons – no matter the reason. No human being is less
valuable, or less deserving of basic human rights, simply because they
were born with a larger prepuce organ.
- from http://www.drcindyblog.com/they-dont-remember/2010/comment-page-1/#comment-254

My Personal thoughts:
Some people have said to me, wow, you are really against circumcision - is it really that bad?
Like most people, I didn't know anything about circumcision until I started asking around and looking it up. I knew the thought of it made me feel uncomfortable, but I didn't know why. When I was in high school was when I first heard about female genital mutilation - at the age of puberty, they would cut girls so that they could not feel pleasure during sex. The injustice of it all made me cry. I remember this memory distinctly. As I researched the circumcision of males, I began to realize that there is not much difference between the two. Both are human rights violations.
In America, this is starting to become a class issue - poor uneducated people circumcise, while rich educated people do not. This is really sad, and even more reason why it should just be against the law period.
In Europe, circumcision has become a non-issue - less than 1% are circumcised. As moms unite in America, hopefully someday soon, we will also have the same statistics - maybe even better at 0%. What most of us would like to see is that any Human Rights Manifesto of any country would have genital cutting of any form to be included in that it goes against the basic human rights of any person, male or female.

Female Genital Mutilation has been against the law since 1997 in the United States. There are many Third World countries though that still perform this act on girls so that girls will feel less or no pleasure during intercourse. Those in the Intact Movement would like to see that every country's Human Rights Manifesto contain a clause that outlaws both Female and Male Genital Mutilations, as both are human rights violations. If you think about it, doing something that permanent to a child without his or her consent is a violation of your basic human rights. Currently, there is a bill to make Male Genital Mutilation illegal as well. Please give it your support, and hopefully soon the United States will have a 1 percent or less circumcised rate - which all the other civilized countries proudly claim.

http://www.mgmbill.org/

Source(s):

http://www.mgmbill.org/
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/02/massachusetts-mgm-bill-public-hearing.html

Oh! And some of the best campaigners for Intact boys I know were moms who were naive with their first sons and now spread the word fervently to as many moms as they can so they won't make the same mistake!

MGMbill.org

mgmbill.org

A Bill to End Male Genital Mutilation in the U.S.

Circumcised man sues hospital and wins case..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8szj1jFCWM

http://www.drmomma.org/2009/10/class-action-lawsuit-circumcised-men.html

MRI studies: The brain permanently altered from circumcision:
http://www.drmomma.org/2009/10/mri-studies-brain-permanently-altered.html

Out of 100 Circumcised boys:

75 will not readily breastfeed post-op

55 will have adverse reactions from the surgery... See More

35 will have post-op hemorrhaging to one degree or another

31 will develop meatal ulcers

10 will need to have the circumcision surgery repeated to fix prior surgical problems/error

8 will suffer infection at the surgical site

3 will develop post-operative phimosis

2 will have a more serious complication (seizure, heart attack, stroke, loss of penis, death)

1 will require additional immediate surgery and sutures to stop hemorrhage

1 will develop fibrosis

1 will develop phimosis

1 will be treated with antibiotics for a UTI (urinary tract infection)

1 will be treated with antibiotics for surgical site infection

Of those who do receive pain medication for the surgery (about 4% of those boys undergoing circumcision in the U.S.) some will have adverse reactions to the pain medication injected

Circumcision is Not recommended by any national health organization in the world, and many are actively against it.
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/02/new-meta-analysis-study-concludes.html

Here is a circumcision primer if you want more information:
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/02/male-circumcision-in-usa-human-rights.html

Circumcision Videos - http://www.asnatureintended.info/circumcision-videos.html

"A piece of skin the size of a quarter contains more than three million cells, 12 feet of nerves, 100 sweat glands, 50 nerve endings, and almost three feet of blood vessels. Circumcision removes a piece of skin almost equivalent to a 3 x 5 index card."

And here are the medical reasons (and God-given reasons) to be intact as God planned:

The foreskin has numerous protective, sensory, and sexual functions.

· Protection: Just as the eyelids protect the eyes, the foreskin protects the glans and keeps its surface soft, moist, and sensitive. It also maintains optimal warmth, pH balance, and cleanliness. The glans itself contains no sebaceous glands-glands that produce the sebum, or oil, that moisturizes our skin.11 The foreskin produces the sebum that maintains proper health of the surface of the glans.
· Immunological Defense: The mucous membranes that line all body orifices are the body's first line of immunological defense. Glands in the foreskin produce antibacterial and antiviral proteins such as lysozyme.12 Lysozyme is also found in tears and mother's milk. Specialized epithelial Langerhans cells, an immune system component, abound in the foreskin's outer surface.13 Plasma cells in the foreskin's mucosal lining secrete immunoglobulins, antibodies that defend against infection.14
· Erogenous Sensitivity: The foreskin is as sensitive as the fingertips or the lips of the mouth. It contains a richer variety and greater concentration of specialized nerve receptors than any other part of the penis.15 These specialized nerve endings can discern motion, subtle changes in temperature, and fine gradations of texture.16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
· Coverage During Erection: As it becomes erect, the penile shaft becomes thicker and longer. The double-layered foreskin provides the skin necessary to accommodate the expanded organ and to allow the penile skin to glide freely, smoothly, and pleasurably over the shaft and glans.
· Self-Stimulating Sexual Functions: The foreskin's double-layered sheath enables the penile shaft skin to glide back and forth over the penile shaft. The foreskin can normally be slipped all the way, or almost all the way, back to the base of the penis, and also slipped forward beyond the glans. This wide range of motion is the mechanism by which the penis and the orgasmic triggers in the foreskin, frenulum, and glans are stimulated.
· Sexual Functions in Intercourse: One of the foreskin's functions is to facilitate smooth, gentle movement between the mucosal surfaces of the two partners during intercourse. The foreskin enables the penis to slip in and out of the vagina nonabrasively inside its own slick sheath of self-lubricating, movable skin. The female is thus stimulated by moving pressure rather than by friction only, as when the male's foreskin is missing.
· The foreskin fosters intimacy between the two partners by enveloping the glans and maintaining it as an internal organ. The sexual experience is enhanced when the foreskin slips back to allow the male's internal organ, the glans, to meet the female's internal organ, the cervix-a moment of supreme intimacy and beauty.

http://www.nocirc.org/

http://www.mothersagainstcirc.org/

http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/

http://www.circumstitions.com/

http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/circumcision/against-circumcision.html

http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/circumcision/protect-uncircson.html

http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/circumcision/cutting-kids.html

Here is a great new website: As Nature Intended - http://www.asnatureintended.info
here are the links as posted on their site:

Circumcision Information and Resource Pages
http://cirp.org

Circumcision Resource Center
http://www.circumcision.org

Intact America
http://www.intactamerica.org

National Organization to Halt the Abuse
and Routine Mutilation of Males
http://www.noharmm.org

The Circumcision Information Sitehttp://www.circinfosite.com

Mothers against Circumcisionhttp://www.mothersagainstcirc.org

Nurses against Circumcisionhttp://nurses.cirp.org

Doctors against Circumcision
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org

Catholics against Circumcision
http://www.catholicsagainstcircumcision.org

Jewish against Circumcisionhttp://jewishcircumcision.org

Students for Genital Integrity http://www.studentsforgenitalintegrity.org
Circumcision Videos - http://www.asnatureintended.info/circumcision-videos.html

Here is a comment on a blog that I just love - what an interesting way of looking at it - the great American Foreskin Holocaust.
http://attachedwithapaddle.blogspot.com/2010/05/hard-post-on-touchy-subject.html

Routine circumcision is a crime against nature that has deprived tens of millions of American males of the epicenter of the normal male sexual experience. Last century, something on the order of 100 million North American infant boys were routinely circumcised without any anesthesia whatsoever. This should have been criminal. Often, the parents were not consulted. This combined lack of anesthesia and parental consent, I call the American Foreskin Holocaust.

I am happy to say that this Holocaust is ebbing, as parents are now consulted, and local anesthesia is now good (albeit not yet standard) practice. But the slaughter of foreskin and frenulum persists, grounded in the inability of many American parents and sex researchers to understand the normal workings of human sexuality.

If there is one thing I stand for and believe, if there is one thing I am prepared to devote every bit of strength that God has allowed me to retain despite my advancing years, it is an end to that moral abomination that is routine infant circumcision in the United States of America. And what happened to your son is one of many facts underlying my determination.

So help me God.

"Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise." (Martin Luther)

I have been married for over 20 years and am raising daughters. My wife is the only person with whom I have been intimate. I am intact. - RD

Here is a great book on the history of Circumcision
:

My Vitamin Supplements while breastfeeding

2010-02-05T18:42:00.001-06:00

I try to take certain pills together.
In the morning:
Nature's Plus Source of Life Prenatals - whole food based - and you only have to take 2 pills a day!

Omega 3's from several sources -
Country Life Omega 3 fish oil pills 2,000 mg
Christopher Eggs from Krogers - 660 mg per egg
Krill oil pill - 1,000 mg
Flax Seed
Enjoy Life brand Crunchy Flax cereal (sprinkled on top of salads and cereals) - 425 mg per serving

NOW brand of Vitamin D - 1,000 mg

________________________________
In the afternoon:
Garden of Life Probiotic - 1 pill
Chlorophyll - 1 pill
Spirulina - 1 pill
This combination really helps with "being regular" and "soft stools".

________________________________
In the evening:
NOW brand of Calcium/Magnesium - 1,000 mg - these are softgels and much easier to swallow
NOW brand of Vitamin D - 1,000 mg
Nature's Plus Super Fruit - 1 pill

Basic Advice for New Mothers

2010-02-03T10:34:00.002-06:00

Since all babies are different, as a new mother of a high needs, high touch, colicky baby, here's my advice to all mothers:

1) Watch the video or youtube The Happiest Baby on the Block dvd - great methods of getting a screaming baby to be quiet fast!
2) If you have a high needs baby, get a swing fast! My baby can't sleep more than 20 minutes on a solid surface, but can sleep hours in a swing.
3) Breastfeeding is not easy, its a learned skill. Read at least two books on the subject, and get to a La Leche meeting or get a lactation consultant if you are having any problems.
4) Di Gize oil is great for a colicky baby, and worth the money. Works much better than Mylicon. In my experience, in the midst of a colic attack, the baby will actually feed about 30 minutes after application.
5) Breastmilk needs to be full of long-chain fatty acids, so eat plenty of them, and take a fish oil supplement. What you eat can affect your baby. I have to cut out all dairy, wheat, onion, caffeine,etc. Supposedly I can add stuff back in around 18 weeks. Check out my Breastfeeding Diet and Recipes for Mothers blog post for more information.
6) Fenugreek pills really do work for milk supply.
7) I recommend browsing www.kellymom.com for breastfeeding, and www.askdrsears.com for everything else

My favorite Websites as a new mom

2010-02-02T10:32:00.000-06:00

The best breastfeeding sites to answer your questions:
http://www.kellymom.com
http://www.laleche.org

Here are some more of my favorite sites:

http://www.askdrsears.com

http://www.biologicalnurturing.com./Pages/howtodoit.html

http://www.happiestbaby.com

http://www.drmomma.org

Dr. Momma on Co-sleeping

2010-02-01T17:47:00.000-06:00

I love Dr. Momma's website. I check it daily.

http://drmomma.blogspot.com/2009/06/truth-about-co-sleeping-how-stats.html

http://drmomma.blogspot.com/2009/12/reason-742-to-share-sleep.html

http://drmomma.blogspot.com/2009/10/bed-of-roses-overcoming-9-obstacles-to.html

http://drmomma.blogspot.com/2009/12/time-to-abolish-cribs.html

http://drmomma.blogspot.com/2009/10/breastfeeding-bedsharing-still-useful.html

http://drmomma.blogspot.com/2009/10/sleeping-with-baby-breastfeeding-night.html

Dr. Momma's Breastfeeding website

2010-02-01T17:41:00.000-06:00

Spoiling Babies :)

2010-01-28T17:24:00.000-06:00

here's some facts from the kellymom.com website:
Your baby will not be spoiled if you hold him and nurse him often - quite the opposite, in fact. Studies have shown that when babies are held often and responded to quickly, the babies cry less, and the parents learn to read baby's cues more quickly. A young child's need for his mother is very intense - as intense as his need for food. Know that your child really needs you. It is not about manipulation or something you can "fix" with the right discipline. Often a baby who is perceived as fussy is simply a baby who needs more contact with mom (and is smart enough to express this need) and is content once his needs are met. See the links below to read more about spoiling.
Are you worried about spoiling your baby? Read on...

Spoiling from AskDrSears.com
Can I spoil my baby? by Pinky McKay
Could your baby be spoiled? by Gayle Peterson, MSSW, PhD
Will I Spoil My Baby by Holding/nursing Him So Often? LLL FAQ
Will I Spoil My Baby If I Carry Her in a Sling? by Dr. William Sears
Where does fear of spoiling come from? by Teresa Pitman
Shutdown Syndrome from AskDrSears.com
Reflections... by Paula Yount @

Should baby be on a schedule?

Breast babies and schedules by Becky Flora, IBCLC

Should you schedule baby's feeds? by Debbi Donovan, IBCLC

Breastfeeding and schedules by Paula Yount

Scheduling Feeds by Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC

Right On Cue: Can You Breastfeed on a Schedule? by Gwen Morrison

Examining the Evidence for Cue feeding of Breastfed Infants by Lisa Marasco, BA, IBCLC and Jan Barger, MA, RN, IBCLC

Chang SR, Chen KH. Demand feeding for healthy premature newborns: a randomized crossover study. J Formos Med Assoc. 2004 Feb;103(2):112-7.

This helps as well:

Infant Massage by Angela Sinclair
Colic Relief Routine by Vimala McClure
Guidelines for Infant Massage from the Department of Women & Infant Nursing, The Ohio State University Medical Center
Baby Massage from the book "Hola Familia" (Hello Family)
Benefits of Baby Massage by Michelle Ebbin

Low Milk Supply issues part two

2010-01-12T17:09:00.001-06:00

hey, i just read this book from the library, and I thought it was really good. Its an easy read.
The name of the book is
So That's What They are For! A definitive guide to breastfeeding by Janet Tamaro

oh, and here's something really interesting (from the book): pg 118
what the baby needs per breastfeeding (with a normal 8 - 12 feedings in 24 hours)
if he weighs:
9-12 lbs - 3 oz of breastmilk per feeding
13-15 lbs - 4 oz of breastmilk
15-17 lbs - 5 oz of breastmilk

Another formula on page 222 is this:
your baby will drink 2.5 oz of milk per pound of weight in a day. So a ten pound baby will drink about 25 oz in 24 hours. So sometimes, he will drink 2 oz, sometimes 4 oz.

My own personal experience: Aidan will cluster feed and feed continuously from 2 pm to 7 pmish. then every 2 hours or so after that until about 1 AM and then he will give me a nice solid block of 5 hours of sleep. then an hour feeding. then another block from 7 to 11AMish. So he tanks up in the afternoon, to be able to have that nice block of sleep. He will feed for a 45 minute block or longer, usually on one breast, then we wait for about 30 minutes, and then feed for another 45 minute block or longer on the other breast - and we do this for several hours. The breast continuously produces milk so for me, there is enough.

I also know several working women who wear a special shirt in the car, and pump all the way to work and all the way home, this helps keep up their supply. (+ pump 3 times during working hours).

Here's a website: www.lowmilksupply.org

Di-Gize Oil

2010-01-09T19:01:00.001-06:00

I love Di-Gize oil for my whole family, and it really helps Aidan's colic. Thanks Candi!

Di-Gize oil by Young Living on the bottom of his foot helps colicky babies A LOT! In my experience, in the midst of a colic attack, I can continue to breastfeed him within 30 minutes of application, after which he drops off to sleep.
An article on Di-Gize: http://mamalovesoils.com/monthly-oils/di-gize-december/129I personally put this on Aidan's foot with either coconut oil or olive oil. One or two drops is usually sufficient.
Also check out my breastfeeding diet for colicky babies page:
http://melissaneece.blogspot.com/2010/02/breastfeeding-diet-and-recipes-for.html

Happiest Baby on the Block Info

2010-01-08T17:23:00.000-06:00

If you haven't checked out the Happiest Baby on the Block material, you really should. Its fantastic. Some of it we were already doing, but we hadn't swaddled Aidan in a few weeks, and we weren't doing all 5 S's at the same time. It really does calm him down. :)
We checked out the DVD from the library - really good to see how it all works and really calms the babies immediately.
Its also endorsed by most breastfeeding sites as being a breastfeeding friendly baby calming method (not all methods out there are).

http://www.happiestbaby.com/

Google video search link

You tube search link

From the website:

Never again will parents have to stand by helpless and frazzled while their poor baby cries and cries. Dr. Karp shows the world that we do not have to let our babies cry it out. “Now parents can easily learn the methods used by the best baby soothers throughout history.”

In a thought-provoking new view of infancy, Dr. Karp blends modern science and ancient wisdom to prove that newborns are not really ready for the world when they are born. Through his research and experience, he has developed four basic principles that are crucial for understanding babies…improving their sleep…and soothing their senses:

The Missing 4th Trimester: As odd as it may sound, one of the main reasons babies cry is because they are born three months too soon.
The Calming Reflex: The automatic reset switch that can stop a baby’s crying…and boost a baby’s sleep…during the first months of life.
The 5 S’s: Five simple steps that trigger the calming reflex (swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging and sucking). For centuries, parents have tried these methods only to fail because, as with a knee reflex, the calming reflex only works when it is triggered in exactly the right way.
The Cuddle Cure: The perfect mix the 5 S’s that can soothe even most colicky infants and add hours to their sleep.

Reasons why we would never supplement with formula

2009-12-18T17:55:00.000-06:00

The number one reason for me is that formula has literally killed millions of babies around the world - especially in those places that give "free" samples.
- Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding by Naomi Baumslag M.D. M.P.H. and Dia L. Michels (Paperback - Sept. 29, 2008)

Reasons why we would never supplement:

Supplementation of the Breastfed Baby: “Just One Bottle Won’t Hurt”---or Will It? by Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
The Case for the Virgin Gut: Even the Occasional Bottle of Formula Has Its Risks by Ann Calandro, RNC, IBCLC
Why Early Introduction of Solid Foods has Changed
Why Delay Solids?

Placenta Encapsulation

2009-11-18T18:39:00.000-06:00

for thousands of years, women have eaten their placenta. I didn't particularly want to eat mine (though power to those who can!) but I have no problems with taking it in a capsule. It basically regulates all your crazy postpartum hormones. My friend who is certified as an encapsulation specialist just had her baby as well, so I had to postpone the process, and so my placenta has been in my freezer. I really do wish I had those capsules from week 2 to week 4 during those nutty weepy hours of the night - for me it was midnight to 3 am every night for about 2 weeks. it was highly annoying.
here is my friend's website on placenta information. You can actually find a lot of information by typing in placenta encapsulation in google search.
http://nourishingorigins.com/2009/12/13/my-own-placenta-experience/
and
http://nourishingorigins.com/services/placenta-encapsulation/...
and
www.PlacentaBenefits.info
and
http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=dcf03f4067df0e69e792ae72f&id=e9aa97ee04

Love to Labor Radio Show - The Amazing Placenta

I was interviewed last month by Karen Angstadt, on her Love to Labor radio show. Karen is a terrific host, and I think I was able to share some good information on the placenta. I appreciate the op...

link:Full Article...

Placenta Benefits.info Newsletter - Homemade Baby Food, Certified Specialists, and PBi on the news a

eepurl.com

Being certified through Placenta Benefits seems to be a growing trend! Every day we have new members apply to join PBi asPlacenta EncapsulationSpecialists. In order to become Certified, a Specialist ...

Aidan Birth Stats

2009-10-18T10:46:00.001-05:00

Well, here's all the details:

Aidan Lee Neece
Monday, October 12, 11:09 pm
8 lbs 5 oz 20 inches long

57 hours of drug free labor
i am warrior woman. ;)
details of the birth story coming soon

unsolicited advice about birth and birthing options

2009-07-02T13:10:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine is so frustrated because people at her work found out she was considering a birthing center or a home birth option for her pregnancy, and started giving her unsolicited advice right away about how "dangerous" those options are, etc. Sigh. Western conventional women who don't do their research really don't have a clue, do they?
Personally, I equate this with bullying. Here is a first time pregnant mom, and they are trying to fill her with fear, the very definition of a bully.
Well, what I usually do with bullies is either ignore them, or confront them on their bullying.
Here are some tips and some things to say if people are rude and tactless enough to insert themselves into your business.

1st) I have read dozens of books and articles about birthing center births and home births. Recently, I read the brand new book "Your Best Birth" by Ricki Lake. Amazon link. This book is brilliant, and is an extremely good recommendation for those who have never considered a birthing center or home birth and who are antagonistic about the whole idea. So one option is to create business cards that include the title and author of this book, and maybe a couple of facts to go along with it. Then you hand them the card and say:
"I don't believe you have done your homework. If you want to know why my family has chosen this option, you can read this book."
If they continue to be antagonistic, you can get a bit snippy, and say
"I'm not going to discuss this with you further until you know what you are talking about."
"If you want to have an educated discussion on this topic, research first, and then I'll be happy to discuss it with you."

2) Ground them in reality with some hard-core facts. Say:
"United States has the second-worst newborn death rate in the developed world and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in industrialized countries, mainly because we have been deceived into delivering at the hospital with a male doctor. Denmark is #1 in the world in safe births, and most of their women have their births at home with a well-educated midwife. So if you are trying to tell me that home births or birthing center births are dangerous, you obviously don't know what you are talking about."

3) Or you can go the extremely tactful route (which is no fun, in my opinion) and just say:
"My family and I have thoroughly discussed and researched this. This is the decision we have made after careful consideration and deliberation. I appreciate that you had a good birth experience at the hospital of your choice and believe you have every right to have made that decision. We have decided to exercise our right to make a different decision. We will just have to agree to disagree on this topic. Thank you."

4) I will admit that some of the statements above are bit confrontational. They are written in mind with the view that you have already tried gentler methods of persuasion and answers, but the people who are offering the unsolicited advice won't back off. In that case, he or she is being a bully, and the above more confrontational statements might help your cause to get them to leave you alone.

5) Of course, most women who decide on a birthing center or home birth simply do not tell or discuss it with anyone. Which is why a lot of women are still ignoramuses about alternative birthing because nobody discusses it.

6) If you are more of a radical educator like myself, you might try having a video watching party with your women friends where you can show and discuss the film "The Business of Being Born". Amazon link. Youtube link. Netflix link. This might also be a good idea for your family (moms and dads) if they are having qualms about an alternative birth. Also, if more women advocate the book "Your Best Birth" for their book club selection, then the ideas behind the book would be more likely to be discussed across the country and become more mainstream thinking than radical. There are several great books and films that are along similar philosophical lines, but the Ricki Lake media in particular plays well to a mainstream audience who knows nothing about home birth. I hope and pray that churches and women clubs across the country will show the film "The Business of Being Born" and advocate reading the book "Your Best Birth", so that moms choosing an alternative birth won't feel so much pressure and bullying from those who don't know any better.

7) Other videos that promote the true facts about birthing are Orgasmic Birth (website link), Birth Without Violence (Amazon link and Trailer link) What Babies Want (website link, trailer link), Home Delivery (Amazon link), With Woman (Amazon link) and Pregnant in America (website link, trailer link). The other day, I went to a screening on Orgasmic Birth. Its actually more about home birth and the safety of it and how great it is, etc. Its definitely worthwhile seeing with your hubby. You can Netflix Orgasmic Birth (link), Business of Being Born (link) (this one is also available thru Netflix streaming video so you can watch it on the computer), Birth without Violence link, Pregnant in America link, and there is a lot of prenatal yoga videos if you type in pregnancy, and several breastfeeding videos if you type in breastfeeding. :)

8) Also, I fully understand why moms choose a hospital birth with an epidural or c-section. It is her right to do so. I believe that you should give birth wherever you honestly feel that it is safest. I understand that many women truly believe hospitals are safe and wonderful places to give birth. My personal opinion on the matter is that hospitals are very dangerous places to give birth, and I would only want to be driven there if something was wrong.
So my only advice on the subject is that I would greatly encourage all women to thoroughly research and explore all their options and then make an educated decision.

9) To me, this entire subject enflames my sense of justice. I have a very strong sense of justice and an absolute disgust for injustice. Home birth is legal in every state and every civilized country, and has long been considered by most of the western world as the safest place to give birth with a competent midwife to assist. It completely baffles me that the women of the United States would allow the money-grubbing Male doctors and insurance companies to be so completely in charge of the birthing process. They keep insisting that birth centers and home births are dangerous, even though every statistic, every piece of research completely refutes their claim. Because of money, they endanger the lives of millions of women and babies. Women of the United States need to unite and insist that it is a woman's decision on where to give birth, and that all options can be good and safe choices.

Juice Plus vitamins Super Sale!

2009-07-02T03:34:00.000-05:00

Hey, I managed to procure some bottles of Juice Plus vitamins and now am selling them to raise some money for a pregnant lady.

If you have always wanted to try Juice Plus, but never could afford to, here's your chance!

These are the only bottles that I have, so once they are gone, they are gone!
In other words, I am not a distributor.

Here's the deal:

I managed to procure some bottles of Juice Plus vitamins and now am selling them to raise some money for a pregnant friend.

If you have always wanted to try Juice Plus, but never could afford to, here's your chance!

These are the only bottles that I have, so once they are gone, they are gone!
In other words, I am not a distributor.

Here is what I have.

Minimum purchase is 2 bottles.

I have 14 bottles of 5/09 for $10 a bottle

I have 6 bottles of 1/09 for $6 a bottle

I have it on good authority that these vitamins are fine for up to a year after expiration date.

Limited time: If you want it all, before anyone else gets it:

The Total of all the above: $176
If you get everything, it'll be $150.

Minimum purchase is 2 bottles. Please inquire to reaffirm the bottles that you want are still available.

You can pick it up or I can ship it. Shipping is $4.
I work in Dallas and live in Fort Worth, so let me know what location works best for you.

Just click on the Contact Me button in the top left hand column.
Payment by Paypal or Google Checkout.

God Bless!
Melissa

Info on Juice Plus vitamins:

official page

Great for pregnancy and breastfeeding:
pregnancy study

Great for Health and Nutrition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nNCiPcaWQ

Dr. Sears highly recommends them:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t040500.asp

Safe for kids to take!:
http://www.childrenshealthstudy.com/main.shtml

Home Birth Videos

2009-07-02T02:38:00.001-05:00

Videos that promote the true facts about birthing are Orgasmic Birth (website link), Birth Without Violence (Amazon link and Trailer link) What Babies Want (website link, trailer link), Home Delivery (Amazon link), With Woman (Amazon link), and Pregnant in America (website link, trailer link). The other day, I went to a screening on Orgasmic Birth. Its actually more about home birth and the safety of it and how great it is, etc. Its definitely worthwhile seeing with your hubby. You can Netflix Orgasmic Birth (link), Business of Being Born (link) (this one is also available thru Netflix streaming video so you can watch it on the computer), Birth without Violence link, Pregnant in America link, and there is a lot of prenatal yoga videos if you type in pregnancy, and several breastfeeding videos if you type in breastfeeding. :)

Garage Sale Tips and Help

2009-05-29T20:21:00.003-05:00

This is for you Marisa. :)

Holding a Garage Sale:
If you don't have tables: Build a box table - stack cardboard or plastic boxes 3 deep and 2 or 3 wide, then put flat boxes on top -tape these together - then put one of those $1 tablecloths over the whole thing - voila - a table. Don't have stuff (especially clothes) on the ground, people don't look through that stuff. Don't have it in boxes either, as if people will spend time looking through boxes.
Show baby stuff prominently - people often drive by craning their necks to see what you have, and kid and baby stuff usually gets them to stop.
You could probably tie a clothesline from the tree to the garage.
Get some garment racks for clothes (borrow them, or target has a great cheap one for $10).
Put the times you are open on the signs you put up around the neighborhood. Take the signs down when the sale is over. There's nothing I hate worse than going through a neighborhood looking for a garage sale that is already closed. Waste of gas and time. Makes me want to come back and paper their yard. lol.

Good timeline:
7-11 - Full price
11-2 - half price or "deals"
2-4 - Stuff a grocery bag for a $1.
4-5 - Give it away for free. The people coming by are usually just as needy as the people who shop Goodwill. :)

Don't overprice. Most people who shop garage sales have a budget. They have a certain amount of money set aside, and if the item is too pricey, that means less money for a "find" at another sale. It doesn't matter that you spent a hundred bucks on it, you can't charge 50. 15 or 20 to start out with might be reasonable, but don't be surprised to still see it there at the end of the day if you don't keep marking down the price. Baby stuff you can start off with at a good price, especially cribs, high chairs and other necessities. If you can't get the price you want, you might want to try selling it on Craig's List for such big ticket items.

Shopping Garage Sales:

Spring is the THE season for garage sales. Spring cleaning and all that. After you paid off Christmas, start saving money for garage sale season. I know people who have special savings accounts specifically for garage sales.
The best garage sales are held by communities and subdivisions. Church and Apartment garage sales aren't bad either, but you will have more luck hitting the jackpot at a community garage sale. Look especially for those that state in their ads *more than 50 homes*, etc. If you are a regular garage sale shopper, you know that often you might not find anything at a garage sale, which makes going from house to house in a community so much easier than going to individual garage sales that you find in the paper.
Established richer neighborhoods rarely have baby stuff, more older children and antiques.
Bring a list of things that you particularly are looking for.
Bring a list of people that you usually buy presents for on birthdays and holidays. Keep thinking of those people as you look over tables.

Carrying money - I've tried coin purses, ziploc bags, fanny packs, wallets, etc, and yet I still find the easiest way to keep money together without losing any is to go to the bank on Friday, and go through the teller window, and on the withdrawal slip, ask for $5 bills for however much you are withdrawing (serious garage salers usually draw 80 to 100 bucks each weekend, you can always put a deposit on something and go find a bank if you discover an expensive item, and of course, you can always put money back in the bank at the end of the day, or keep it until the next weekend) and the envelope that they give you really is the best money holder.
Make sure you wear shorts with pockets in order to keep the money envelope on your person. Or if you want to forego sunscreen on your legs, wear capris or kulots.

Keep your purse in your trunk. You won't need it.

Bring sunscreen. Apply often. Especially on your face, neck and arms. Legs too if you are wearing shorts (especially back of knees).

Bring an umbrella. It can easily start to rain or sprinkle mid-morning, especially in Texas.

Bring at least 3 water bottles. Stop off at 7-11 before you start, and buy your drink of choice - gatorade or slurpees. ;)

If you are taking kids with you, make certain that you have plenty of water and snacks, as well as items that will keep their interest. Serious garage salers usually find a babysitter, or leave the kids with the husband. Kids will definitely slow you down. Only take kids with you if you have absolute control over them. There's nothing worse than some kid running around a sale with a negligent mom looking over the merchandise.

If you are pregnant, you are getting in and out of your car often, so make sure you practice the safe ways of getting in and out of the car, otherwise you can get really sore. Best way to get out of a car is to bring both legs together, push with your arm against the steering wheel and put both legs together on the ground. Best way to get into a car is to sit first and bring both legs together onto the car floor.

Leave Early. Serious garage salers leave the house before 7.

Most garage sales (especially community ones) are pretty much over by noon. Individual ones tend to stay open later, maybe even till five. The closer it gets to June, the earlier they close up, because its gets really hot. If you are having an individual garage sale, if you do stay open till at least 3pm, you can get a lot more traffic - you are not in direct competition with other garage sales.

Plan out your attack before you go. You might be able to hit 3 community sales (over 100 garage sales) in a day if you are diligent. Look through the newspaper, the newspaper online, and craigs list. Then map the areas you want to go. Mapsco are great, but if you don't have one, just look everything up online, and either write out or print out directions.

Make sure that you have your own garage sale either at the end of March or middle of June to make space for all the new stuff you bought. This is a great time because it doesn't interfere with community sales - most of which are in April, May and beginning of June.

Have a plastic bucket in a closet to put all presents in. If you are really organized, you will wrap up the presents when you get home and tape an index card describing the present and who it is for.

The biggest tip is to know your merchandise. I often can find 2 or 3 items in a season for really cheap (like $10) and then turn around and sell them on Craig's list or Ebay for a $100 or more. This will help pay for the entire garage sale season, and if you are really lucky, you won't be out any money at all!

If you are pregnant, I probably don't have to tell you that garage sales are the absolute best place to find baby supplies. Often, I will find an item that a regular person doesn't know what it is or what it does, and so it is still there, even at the end of the day. Examples of recent finds: Brest Friend brand new in package, a Bumbo, a baby sun canopy, Infantino slings, etc.
After your baby shower, go out to garage sales, and buy all the things that you didn't receive. :)

Baby clothes are usually priced at 50 cents an outfit. When you get home, wash and sort the clothes into age groups, and place in large ziploc bags until needed. If you find a stain that you hadn't noticed, Rinse the outfit in lemon water (1 part lemon juice to 5 parts water usually, or squirt the lemon directly on the stain if its small), and place on your outside clothes line (or outside on some bushes or a garment rack). The stain will usually be out in 2 or 3 days of sunshine.
If you find vintage baby clothes (i love these) that are yellowed with age, soak them in lemon water for a few minutes, and then put them outside for a couple of days.

If you are getting big items like couches or furniture, and you don't have a truck, find some movers on craig's list or the yellow pages ahead of time, and tell them you'll be calling them with an address on Saturday for a moving job. You could also hire a couple of teenagers if you know any and tell them you'll pick them up at around 3 pm in the Uhaul truck and then go to all the homes where your new furniture sits with a big Sold sign on it.

That's all I can think of for now. If you want to go Garage sale shopping with me, let me know by the Friday before.

And yes, I have helped people in the past find specific items for a fee.
I would need:
1) List of things to purchase with a price in mind for each item. ie. Toaster Oven $15 max.
2) Feed money to purchase, plus basic fee, in advance.
3) You will receive your items, a detailed receipt, and your change.
4) You pay for the cost of the item, Plus the Basic Fee: $10 for the service, plus $1 per item found. If it is a group of items ie. baby clothes or shirts etc., then that fee is usually $5 per garage sale. ie. I find 10 baby outfits at one garage sale, you would only pay $5 service fee for the group, not a $1 per item ($10).
5) If it is something large, like a piece of furniture or a bike, I will take a picture with my cell phone, text it to you, and if you reply in the affirmative, I will purchase the item and have them hold it for you with a sold sign. Then you would make your own arrangements to pick it up.
5) If you are interested, click on the Contact Me button.

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*In the second year (12-23 months), 15 oz of breastmilk provides:
29% of energy requirements 43% of protein requirements
36% of calcium requirements 75% of vitamin A
requirements 76% of folate requirements
94% of vitamin B12 requirements 60% of vitamin C
requirements-- Dewey 2001