Giving Birth Again

You gave birth.  It didn't go the way you expected, the way you planned, the way you wanted...

Now you find yourself pregnant again and you're a little scared.  Maybe you're really, really scared.
What can you do to make sure that things go better this time?
Did you stuff the trauma you experienced deep down, not realizing it would surface (ever)?
Now you've got a toddler, and your pregnant and there's a lot of emotional work you need to do, but really don't have time or energy for it.  You're not that mom.  You want better and you will find a way.
 Why? 
Because your birth experience isn't just for you - it's your baby's only birthday.

One of my kids told me (you may have heard it somewhere too) that if you repeat the same thing over and over, you will get the same result over and over.

The same goes for birth:
If you were uneducated last time, get educated.
If you were out of shape last time, get in shape.
If you ate a lot of junk last time, get healthier food.
If you were hurt emotionally, physically, mentally last time, get healed.

So you get the idea.  You agree.  
Where do you start?

1. You must swear off the drama.  Don't fall into the drama-trap.  Birth is not a crisis.  You are not sick.  When you look at this process truthfully, you will find that there is no reason for fear and drama, and that will only make you vulnerable to deception.
2. Next, I would sit down with a cup of raspberry leaf tea and a lovely book that will encourage you while educating you: "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" by Ina May Gaskin (a birthy, hippy hero of mine)  In this book you will find healthy, happy, normal birth stories.  Read it!
3. Get shopping for a doula.  Find one who has excellent training, current certification credentials, and lots of experience.  Don't settle for the lowest price.  This is your baby's birth.  If you want care that will change your experience for the better, don't be a cheapskate.
4. Start eating right and exercising immediately.  Drinking lots of fluids and eating loads of protein every day is of utmost importance.  Those are your top priority.  Your prenatal vitamin cannot make up for a poor diet.

If you have issues still rising in your mind about your previous birth(s), please talk to someone about it.  Residual anxiety can have a heavy impact on how your next labor will go.  One way to work through those feelings is to use your 5 senses.  Explore each sense and ask yourself questions about it.  Often when we experience trauma we don't always store it with words.  Sometimes we store memories of them in the form of sensations.  Those sensations need to be tapped into and cleared away - you don't want them to pop up and surprise you when you're in labor!

If you're in the San Antonio area, consider taking a class to help you prepare.  Tranquil Seasons offers classes monthly on a variety of topics.  Check out the list and see if any draw you.
You can find the list on the website: Doulas and Childbirth Education in San Antonio

If you're not in San Antonio, I can get you into our private, online birth mentoring program.
Just ask me!
210-548-8800

Blessings,
Anne Croudace

Sneaky Psychology of Birth Expectations - Part 2 Setting a Solid Foundation

Continuing on the thread of messing with moms' minds as part of the profit-driven practitioner...

Have you ever been told at your 37/38/39 week prenatal, during a vaginal exam, that you're ___cm and ___% effaced and "baby is really low"?

Was it followed with, "I doubt you'll make it through the weekend"...?

It seems like that was the previous trend (before the unfavorable cervix shenanigans began) that OBs and even midwives were using to build an expectation in mothers' and partners' minds.  Again, education is the key to overcoming this silly gullibility before birth and the depression due to regret that comes afterward.

Put yourself in the profit-driven practitioner's shoes.
What happens is this: As a profit-driven practitioner, you tell a woman what you're "expecting" and since you're the professional, so she expects it too.  Mother tells all her friends and family members that she's bound to go into labor before the weekend.  She builds it up in her mind.  She finishes the nesting, packs her bags, over-analyzes her cravings, her sleep, her poop, her aches, pains and everything her body does.  Poor thing gets all excited.  Day after day she wakes up, and expects that today will be the day.  Then it doesn't happen - because she and her baby are not ready, but your prediction has effectively poisoned the waters.

Imagine how she feels...  A strange combination of disability, failure, impotence, embarrassment, even shame.  She wonders what is wrong with her (but doesn't question what was wrong with the prediction, because her heart is tender and vulnerably focused inward, as it should be).  Another week passes and her anxiety increases.

Her family and friends are sharing this unrealistic expectation and start pressuring: "What's wrong?"  "Haven't you had that baby yet?"  "This happened to _____ and she had to have a cesarean because her body just wouldn't go into labor."

Half of the work of a profit-driven practitioner is done for him/her already!  
Guess who is now primed and ready to sign up for that induction...
and worse, the scheduled cesarean, which is allowable after 37 weeks for very little reason - if any.  All that needs to be done now, is to give it an official diagnosis:  Failure to progress, Unfavorable cervix, Low amniotic fluid, YOU NAME IT, we can put a labor on it.  :)

Remember how I mentioned the depression due to regret earlier?  These are the moms whose babies end up in the NICU, whose deeply desired breastfeeding is ruined, whose baby struggles in their first weeks and months to thrive and grow, because they are so sleepy, jaundice, allergic to formula.

I just want moms to stop signing up for the snowball effect with their eyes closed.  I want them to be educated about the process of birth.  I want them to know how their bodies REALLY work and that they were built for this process.  I want them to understand that their mind is where the battle really is - not their bodies.  And if they can trust themselves to give birth the way they trust themselves to do anything else, they will give birth when their baby says they are ready, and they will have a healthy, alert, good eater and good sleeper in their arms upon delivery.

The USA has a profit driven health care system.  If you want to make lots of money, this would be a great industry to get into.  That is, until individuals begin to take responsibility for their own health and begin to question what is being recommended to them.  At some point, the insurance industry is going to fall apart because the public cannot afford to pay and the industry itself cannot sustain the abuse it's been funding for decades.

Most of all, I think we as women need to get back to the way we've cared for the health of our families for millennia - and that is to educate ourselves but follow our intuition.  Why have we replaced intuition and good sense with beeps and pills?

Your children depend on your good sense and intuition for all other areas of their lives and well-being.  Don't let them down on the day they arrive earth-side.

To learn more, to be mentored, or to take online interactive childbirth classes, please give me a call and I will be happy to direct you to some fantastic resources.

May this new year be the year you start asking questions and taking charge of your own health and the health of your family.  You deserve to have respectful, honest caregivers and so do your children.

Warmly,
Anne Croudace
952-457-6506
http://www.maternitywise.com

Sneaky Psychology of Birth Expectations - Part 1 The Latest

Education is very important.  The understanding of how labor works, how your cervix and uterus operate and what really exists in the large range of normal...  IS HUGELY IMPORTANT.

If you don't know these things, these basic, simple things, you can easily be lied to.  I can't tell you enough how important it is for women of childbearing age to be educated on pregnancy and childbirth.  Junior High health class is just not good enough!

It's important because there are practitioners out there who are charismatic, and good at manipulating.  They have fantastic bedside manner and very fat wallets.  I hate to even have to say that.  There are lots of great OBs and midwives caring for women with ethical, respectful philosophies.  There are honest caregivers practicing out there who feel equal disgust when hearing about the latest butcher shop tactics.  But just like there are weeds growing in every beautiful garden, so there are evils among the most sacred or professions - maternity caregivers come in all colors.

Speaking with an OBGYN friend of mine a few months ago, he explained that it's not profitable to take medicaid patients, but he does it anyway, because his neighboring OB across the road was taking them and signing 85-90% up for what he is touting as necessary cesareans (no exaggeration).  My friend believes women do better birthing with support and without interference, and wanted women to have a choice, particularly the more vulnerable, and often less educated immigrant Medicaid population that were buying into Dr. Surgery's smooth tactics across the street...

So we started offering free and low-cost childbirth preparation classes to Medicaid and Military patients.  We wanted to be part of the solution.  We wanted to give mothers a real opportunity to make sound decisions and without "hospital indoctrination" as it can be at times.

We assumed of course, the lower income mothers might not know better.  They cannot afford childbirth preparation classes and many of those in our richly diverse city don't speak or read english well.  It seemed logical to expect that kind of scenario happened in "that part of town".  Right?  I thought so too.

Until recently...  I have heard several affluent, (and what I would consider educated) moms tell me that they "had to schedule a cesarean" due to having an "unfavorable cervix" at or near their ESTIMATED due date.  These mothers went on to explain that they were told at 38, 37, and even 36 weeks that their cervix was not favorable, was posterior, and/or was too tightly closed to be able to deliver vaginally.  Yes, long before their due date with baby #1; and they did not know any better than to believe their doctors who told them with sad faces that they were disappointed right along with them that they couldn't deliver the way they wanted (vaginally) and that this sometimes happens to moms and cannot be avoided (extending sympathy, even soliciting empathy for their own position as the doctor).

As a woman, wouldn't you feel horrible if you were told your womanly parts didn't work?  Especially if you deep down believed it weren't true, but you had no way of convincing those you perceive to be "in authority" over your health/experience?  There's a deep, even subconscious humiliation and self-worth destruction that takes root in a woman when her pregnancy or birth dreams are thwarted or her ability is deemed to be invalid in the process.  This is not to mention the subconscious mistrust that is planted into the mind of the partner.  If her body "can't be trusted" to grow a baby safely, or birth a baby safely, how can it nourish a baby or how can she be trusted to care for the baby alone?

An example of the manipulation: One mom was told that she "didn't do anything wrong" (insinuating she should feel that she had) but that with "her type of cervix", even induction would fail.  Preying on her disappointment and feeling of being taken off-guard, Dr. Sneaky Mistruth pretended to be devastated with her, and nearly solicited sympathy for himself, acting as if because of her body's malfunction, he was being forced to perform surgery on her.  Talk about manipulation!

News Flash:
The cervix sometimes does not soften or open until the day labor commences.  Sometimes due to baby's position or other reasons which can change suddenly, the cervix light stay posterior until labor starts.  And reminder: on average, healthy outcomes for mom and baby in first time moms - delivery date was 41.5 weeks - when no induction methods were employed.

41.5 weeks!  
First time moms!  

So, technically, following that average, a 37 week scheduled cesarean would give you a 1 full month premature baby.

What boggles my mind is not the bad advice to moms.  It's not the "your cervix is unfavorable" which would indicate to me that the practitioner is simply lacking accurate knowledge and could/should be enlightened. No, the thing that really stops me in my tracks is the emotional manipulation of the mother, saying things like "I'm disappointed right along with you" and "I wish you could have the birth you want, but" and "this happens to a lot of moms, and it's not your fault"  WOW!  What a mind-job.

Click here for the Part 2 of this series on Sneaky Psychology of Birth Expectations.

Meanwhile, if you're interested in classes, mentoring or just learning more...  visit our agency website: Local San Antonio Doulas

or call me for the latest info

Warm Blessings,
Anne Croudace
952-457-6506

Delayed Cord Cutting - What's All the Fuss?

Healthy start for newborns safe in mothers' arms

Originally published by the BBC:

A new study shows that newborn babies can reap the health benefits of a delay in cutting their umbilical cord - whilst they're safe in their mothers' arms.

It had been thought that gravity was necessary for the blood to drain from the placenta to the baby - who had to be held lower than the mother.

But research carried out in Argentina has shown that babies can still benefit from this "extra" blood during their first cuddle.  More from Health Check

-----------------------

So... I have a question.  If moments before birth, baby was essentially on top of mom, and receiving it's blood supply then...  How does it differ, if he is now on top of mom (albeit on top of her skin, instead of under it) in terms of the blood flow of the umbilical cord?  

If a cord has enough strong pressure pumping through it, to prevent a true knot from cutting off baby's blood supply as demonstrated by this little boy's internal acrobatics and the result thereof...  how is this small difference of on top of mother or not, going to make a significant impact?

Sure, I get how gravity may make placental infusion of a newborn's blood happen faster, but who is in a rush and why?  I think the true question here is how long to wait before interfering in the natural process?  Can you watch this beautiful process unfold or must you control it, manage it, and interrupt it...?  And why would you?

Is anybody asking these questions?

Parents, Are you?

Do we really need to leave it to Argentina to tell us what is best for our babies?  (No offense, Argentinians!!)

While you're writing your birth plan, read up on early vs delayed cord clamping.  And then ask yourself the questions of how logical is any of it.  Is there another mammal on the planet who cuts or clamps the cord of their young before the placenta is even expelled?  I'll give you the short answer: No.  So why are we?

Sometimes nature already does what scientists just haven't had time yet to discover.

Just sayin... The world HAS been peopled after all.

Become a certified doula.  Attend a doula training, and be better equipped to answer these questions!

How nice! Massage in Labor...

Did you know....?
Massage benefits laboring moms in a lot of ways!

When was the last time you had a massage? It may have been a professional massage at a spa or it could have just been a quick backrub from your honey, but didn’t it feel good?

According to research, massages can actually assist mothers to labor faster and more comfortably. Even a quick and simple massage can do wonders for decreasing a mother’s anxiety and pain. 
Just check out the findings from this study:
“Twenty-eight women were recruited from prenatal classes and randomly assigned to receive massage in addition to coaching in breathing during labor, or to receive coaching in breathing alone. The massaged mothers reported a decrease in depressed mood, anxiety and pain, and showed less agitated activity and anxiety and more positive affect following the first massage during labor. In addition the massaged mothers had shorter labors, a shorter hospital stay and less postpartum depression.” (1)

During labor, sometimes the focus can all be put on having the mother breath and push. Without a relaxed body, however, focusing all energy (emotional and physical) on these important tasks becomes difficult for mom. Having nurturing support she can trust and feel safe with is important.  Massage facilitates this.

That’s where a well-trained, certified, professional Doula comes in. Having a doula there who knows how to massage and comfort a mother with touch throughout the labor process means that mom can receive that much-needed massage any time she needs it! Find a doula who is certified and specifically trained in maternal-fetal positioning, and the best techniques for helping mom relax her muscles. A massage during labor (whether from Dad or Doula) also allows the mother to breathe easier and keep her rhythm. The results? A less-stressed, less-depressed mom and a shorter labor process and hospital stay. 

Who can say no to that? 


Resources:
(1) Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Taylor , S., Quintino, O., & Burman, I. (1997). 
Labor pain is reduced by massage therapy. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and 
Gynecology, 18, 286-291.

Pregnancy and Birth are Normal Functions of the Female Body

Pregnancy and birth is a normal physiological function of the female body.  In general, the female body is as capable of pregnancy and birth as it is breathing, digesting food or passing urine.  It is logical to assume that interference is not necessary unless and until a problem presents itself, and not unless or until there is evidence that the body’s self-correcting restorative capabilities are not meeting the need of the problem.

It is also very important to remember that the variety and ability of the female body to conceive, carry and birth a baby constitute a large range of “normal”.  For example: Just because one woman labors best in a certain position does not mean that all women labor best in that position.  That “best” position may not suit the same woman in subsequent labors, either.  The ways in which they can “get the job done” is as varied as the women themselves and the babies they carry. 

Everything in a woman’s life changes when she gets pregnant.  Her body’s changes are the most prominent because we can look at her and it's right there.  However, change is also present in the way she sees and thinks about herself and the world around her - as well as the way the world sees and thinks about her.  The mothering instinct is quite strong and predominant in some, while it is more subdued or delayed in others.  

No matter what the mother thought or felt about herself before, she will now envision herself with another person in her life depending on every breath and calorie - unlike any relationship before it.  That transition will manifest in beautiful ways when she is supported properly during pregnancy, labor, birth and the postpartum period.  But hey, you already knew that!   Congratulations!

Have you ever considered becoming a doula?  Are you good at smoothing things over and keeping things calm when others around you are freaking out?  You might be a doula on the inside.  :) 

Our job as normalizing anchors…

We as doulas are meant to be a sounding board for mothers.  They will usually tell us how they are feeling, in detail.  We are so lucky to get a glimpse into the intimate part of a woman’s journey, whether this is her first or 10^th pregnancy.  

It is always our responsibility to have an accepting, nurturing attitude toward the mother.  I call it “putting on love” toward her.  As we do this, we can help to normalize things she is concerned about or may cause alarm in others when truly it’s not a crisis.  She needs someone to be sturdy, and someone she can count on to provide her with reassurance.  

Tell her all you know, while focusing on the positive, and being realistic about the negative – that women have been growing babies and giving birth for eons, and she’s not broken or strange.  One thing I say is to look around, the world has been peopled!  

You’re not the first, and you probably won’t be the last to experience ____________.

Doulas are not all the same, but a well-trained, professional doula who has the integrity of being certified is going to have the skills to nurture and keep you calm when labor gets difficult, and all the times before that too.  

Be picky about who you choose, and remember...  Experience (in years and number of families served) is valuable and it's is worth paying for.

May your birth be blessed with peace and rest.

Anne Croudace

New Mothers Speak Out

What do you think?

The New Mothers Speak Out (PDF) report presents postpartum results from both surveys and gives a ground-breaking view of experiences of mothers with young children in the United States at this time. The surveys were conducted by Harris Interactive and carried out in partnership with Lamaze International.

New Mothers Speak Out reports that life is challenging for many women at this time, who Report highlights include:The report also includes dozens of comments from the mothers themselves about these topics.· experienced new physical and emotional problems following technology-intensive births with high rates of surgery and other interventions:

· struggled to get exercise and rest, eat a healthy diet and manage stress

· did not return to their pre-pregnancy weight

· got limited support from husbands/partners and others

· were unable to start or continue breastfeeding as they wanted

· wanted but did not have the maternity benefits that women in other affluent countries take for granted

· returned too quickly to employment due to financial pressure.

Extent to which mothers experienced 26 health conditions as a new problem in the first two months after birth, and extent to which the problems persisted to six months or more

 Net weight gain above mothers' weight just before pregnancy over the first 18 months after birth

Results of two validated postpartum depression screening tools

First national data about post-traumatic stress with reference to women's childbirth experience, using a validated screening tool:

· Breastfeeding patterns and whether mothers achieved their goals for exclusive breastfeeding and for duration of breastfeeding

· Baby co-sleeping with mother or others in first six months

· How women and their husbands or partners shared child care

· How women rated the support they received from their husbands or partners and from others

· Extent to which women who were employed in pregnancy received paid maternity leave benefits versus their ideal length of paid maternity leave

· Patterns of staying home with baby and transitioning to employment over the first 18 months after birth

· Whether employed women were able to to stay home with their babies as long as they wanted

· Challenges in the transition to employment after birth

What do you feel about these assessments?

http://www.tranquilseasons.com

210-548-8800

What is a Labor Doula?

Labor Doulas

A Certified Labor Doula is an assistant or coach, who provides various forms of non-medical support (physical, informational and emotional) during pregnancy and in the childbirth process.  She may attend a home birth or might support the mother and her partner during labor at home and continue while in transport and then remain with the mother until settled after the birth at a hospital or a birth center.  Tranquil Seasons only hires Certified Doulas.  We always require doulas, previously certified or not, to go through our training, because the standard of the organization we use for labor doula certification is head and shoulders above any of the others we have seen out there.

During delivery, doulas are in constant, close proximity to the mother at all times. They can provide comfort with pain relief techniques, such as breathing, relaxing, massage and laboring positions. Doulas also encourage participation from the partner and offer reassurance.  A doula acts as an advocate for the mother, encouraging her in her desires for her birth.  Tranquil Seasons are also trained in-depth on maternal fetal positioning.  This is a specialized skill that helps promote the swifter, easier and more comfortable dilation of the cervix and more efficient descent of the baby.

The goal of a doula is to adapt to and support the mother’s philosophy and help her to have a positive and safe birth experience, whether the mother wants an un-medicated birth or is having a planned cesarean birth. 

The doula is the ONLY one outside of family, who is hired by and there specifically for the mother, and has no conflicts of interest such as employment by the physician/midwife/hospital or any other reason for bias.

After the birth, Tranquil Seasons Doulas will spend as much time as needed helping mothers begin the breastfeeding process and encouraging bonding between the new baby and family members.  Our jobs are not done just because the baby has arrived!  :)

Hiring a Certified Labor Doula will decrease your chances of cesarean. Tranquil Seasons owner Anne Croudace, has cared for over 270 families.  Out of all the births she has attended, only 3 ended in an unplanned (though very necessary) cesareans. That's a pretty encouraging statistic. While she cannot make you any guarantees, you have more than a good chance of avoiding a surgical birth when you've got Anne or one of the doulas she has trained, by your side.

Call for more info:
210-548-8800
or visit our website:
http://www.tranquilseasons.com

Sample Birth Plan

Look into your options...
Here is a sample, offered by one of our clients to give other moms a good starting point.

Feel free to use wording from it, or even copy and paste.  If you have questions about any of the preferences listed, please let me know and I will be glad to explain the family's intent as well as further resources regarding each item.

Remember, your birth plan should be 1 page long and include a categorized list of your wishes and preferences in each stage of your childbirth experience.

 

Birth Plan

Labor:

·         I would like my husband, Jason, and doula, Anne, to stay with me at all times.

·         I request that pain medication NOT be offered to me; if I decide to use pain medications, I will request them.

·         In the event of labor augmentation, I would like to try alternate methods prior to use of Pitocin.

·         I prefer no IV fluids unless I am dehydrated such that juices, electrolyte water, and other drinks do not properly hydrate me.

Pushing:

·         I request the freedom to choose various pushing and delivery positions; to include squatting, hands & knees, or whatever may feel right at the time.

·         I ask that no episiotomy be performed; I would like warm compresses and perineal massage prior to delivery.

·         When it is time to push, I’d like to be allowed to progress free of stringent time limits as long as my baby and I are doing fine.

 

Immediately Postpartum:

·         I request that the umbilical cord not be clamped, or even touched until it is white and limp. I request to be allowed to naturally deliver the placenta; I request to have the placenta stored safely and unaltered so that we may take the placenta home for encapsulation.

·         I request that the immediate care of my baby be done on my abdomen or chest with skin-to-skin contact for as long as possible.

·         I plan to exclusively breastfeed and request that no supplements or pacifiers be given. If my baby needs to be fed by bottle or other means, I would like to pump my breasts and provide breast milk throughout the hospital stay.

Newborn:

·         I ask that all newborn care be done in my room.

·         If my baby requires special nursery care, I request access to him at any time.

Special Circumstances:

·         If the above ideals must be altered for medical necessity, I ask that we be given as much time as safely possible to consider all our options before procedures are done.

·         In the event of a cesarean delivery, I would like my partner and doula with me.

·         If cesarean is necessary, I would like contact with my baby as soon as possible and during recovery.

·         In the event of a stillbirth or death of my baby, I would like contact with him as long as desired afterwards.

What to Buy/Register for Baby!

Tranquil Seasons BabyRegistry Recommendations

(if it's not on this list, you probably don't need it)

Newborn Necessities:

v  Layette  - Fave Brands:  Carters, Sage Creek Organics, Under the Nile and Kicky Pants

Ø  Onsies - #5

Ø  Footies (coveralls with feet) - #5

Ø  Sleep Gowns (elastic bottoms) - #5

Ø  Receiving/Swaddling Blankets (fave brand: Aiden and Anais) - #8

v  Diapering - Fave Brands: Honest Co. and Pampers Swaddlers

Ø  Diapers, newborn-size and size 1

Ø  Wipes (fave brands: California Baby, Mustela or just get regular and rinse the brick)

Ø  Cloth Diapers - (fave brands: G-Diapers, Kissaluvs)

Ø  Diaper Rash Cream - Burts Bees wins hands down

v  Feeding

Ø  Lansinoh Nipple Cream, or Earth Mother Angel Baby brand nipple cream

Ø  My Brest Friend Breastfeeding Pillow (yes, this is important!!, if you plan to bfeed)

Ø  Burp Cloths (anything absorbent and soft against baby’s face will do) #8

Ø  Medela Pump in Style breast pump, if you’re going to be breast/bottle feeding

Ø  Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags

Ø  Dr. Browns or Tommy Tippee bottles, if you plan to bottle feed at all

Ø  Soft, sleep bras (at least 3 of these in the beginning, 1 size bigger) + Breast pads

v  Furniture

Ø  Changing pad

Ø  Rock-n-Play Sleeper - we call it the “Taco Rocker”

Ø  Co-Sleeper (fave brand: Arm’s Reach Mini)

Ø  Co-sleeper sheets

Ø  Stroller/Car Seat Travel System (fave brand: Britax)

v  Other Misc.

Ø  Nail file (you can use the fine gauge side of your own emery boards)

Ø  Thermometer (fave brand: Thermoscan)

Ø  Baby Carrier (fave type:  Pouch-Style - check out “Go, Baby, Go” to try them on)

Ø  Baby Bath Wash & Lotion/Massage Oil (fave brand: California Baby or Weleda)

Ø  Target Brand or Purex Baby Laundry Detergent (fave: same as but less expensive than Dreft)

 

Newborn Nice-to-Haves:

v  Layette  - Fave Brands:  buying from WAHMs is a great way to support your community

Ø  Carseat cover (in winter)

Ø  Additional blankets are nice, chenille or fleece layered blankets are especially warm

v  Diapering -

Ø  Wipes Warmer (fave brand: Lionheart)

Ø  Changing Station, either on top of dresser or pack-n-play

v  Feeding

Ø  Breast shells (fave brand: Avent)

Ø  Pumping bra for hands-free pumping (fave brand: medela)

Ø  Mother’s Milk Tea by Traditional Medicinals or Nursing Mother Tea by Yogi

v  Furniture

Ø  Rocking Chair with foot stool/ottoman for mom

Ø  Nursery crib and dresser set

Ø  Baby Swing (fave brand: Mamaroo)

Ø  Bumbo Seat (this is for baby once he/she is 3-4 months, but awesome nonetheless)

Ø  Pram-style stroller / jogger (depending on your lifestyle)

v  Other Misc.

Ø  Bath Time (fave brands: Under the Sea Sponge and Spa Baby Eco)

Ø  Pacifier (if you use them, get several Wubbanubs, they are so great!)

Ø  Skin Care (Calendula Cream by California Baby solves most skin irritations)

Ø  Pelvic Support for Mom (you want a thicker band like: Medela Postpartum Support)

 

Did we forget something?  Have a question about a product?  Just ask!

Call 210-548-8800

email Anne at annecwj(at)gmail.com
or visit us on the web:  http://www.tranquilseasons.com

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Tips For An Easier Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond

Here is a great little article I wrote back in 2002 with a list of tips for pregnant mothers...
Enjoy!

To make life easier as a pregnant mother, we've put together some wonderful tips and reminders for you!

• Take time to pamper yourself. Relaxing benefits you, the baby, AND the new dad!
  
• Drink lots of water and fruit juice. Traditional Medicinals brand and Yogi brand (found in the natural foods part of the grocery store) have a wonderful pregnancy tea and Red Raspberry Leaf teas.
  
• Red Raspberry Leaf tea is also a wonderful uterine tonic, used by women for centuries to strengthen their uterus and ease/hasten childbirth.
  
• Buy lots of pillows and USE them in bed!
  
• Make sure to take your prenatal daily. A "green" prenatal is going to allow your body to absorb more nutrients because they are made with food, not synthetics. Some women even find that switching to a "green" prenatal lessens their nausea tremendously.  After the birth, sometimes those prenatals can be the source of baby's tummy discomfort. 
  
• Be sure to get plenty of protein. Your body needs lots of it to grow a healthy baby. High blood pressure can often be avoided by keeping your high quality protein intake high. Try almonds, yogurt, eggs, cheese and lean meats. Women struggling with high blood pressure will find help here.
  
• Read all you can get your hands on, and look at birth photos, videos, etc. Familiarity with what to expect can prevent anxiety.

• Hire a doula. Doulas are very knowledgeable about pregnancy and birth and can help you brainstorm to solve any comfort issues you may have.  When looking for a doula, consider her training, certification and make sure her credentials are legit and current.  Oh, and always, always do a background check!  Here's my agency's website:  http://www.tranquilseasons.com

 

• Journal. Your child will find your ramblings so precious and reassuring when they are having their own babies or as a graduation or coming of age present.
  
• Buy an exercise ball and sit on it as often as possible. This can relieve back pain, and also keep your pelvis limber for the big day.
  
• Find a local La Leche League group and plan to attend a meeting or two before the birth. These ladies will become a great resource for after the baby arrives.  If you find them too militant, seek out other local lactation support groups.
  
• Don't apologize for having to go to the bathroom all the time.
  
• Buy a reacher/grabber thing to get things up high and down low. You'll be surprised how off-balance that belly can make you.
  
• Buy slip on shoes. It's nice to eliminate bending over at the end of your pregnancy.
  
• Recruit your other children to help out around the house.
  
• Plan and ASK for help from family and friends for after the birth. Don't try to be Superwoman!
  
• Consider hiring a Postpartum Doula.
  
• Buy lots of paper plates - even one package can make a big difference.
  
• Store pre-made casseroles in the freezer.
  
• Don't go crazy decorating the nursery and buying tons of "stuff". Simplifying your life makes having a baby easier. Valuable baby equipment might only include diapers and blankets at first.
• Write a birth plan.  Ask your doula to help you.  This will help you to educate yourself on what is available to you as far as options and will also help you to narrow dow what you feel is most important to you, in regard to your birth experience ideals.