Aerie's comments

Including Children in Home Births - Blog Entry

30 Nov 2006 08:11 AM

You're right, it is important to make plans that work for the individual mama and children. Also, stay flexible! One of my good friends thought she would want her children there, but they were so annoying her, she couldn't wait for them to leave. (I was very careful not to promise my children anything about labor- I would say "We are planning thus and so, I hope it works out that way..." just in case I changed my mind) Another one of my friends recently had a baby at home after a VERY long labor. She was not planning on having any of her boys present in the room, but they had all come in to pray, sing, massage her feet, etc., and finally the labor picked up and they got to be there for the birth of their little brother. It just seemed right for them in that situation for the family to be together, even though they had planned differently. Everyone knows a laboring mama can change her mind as many times as she wants, right? ;-)

Including Children in Home Births - Blog Entry

29 Nov 2006 01:21 PM

Both of my daughters, ages 6 and 10, were at the homebirth of their little sister earlier this month. My older daughter had been at the birth of her little brother 5 years before, when she was 5. We prepared by reading about and looking at pictures of births (and talking about it!). Both of them had an adult friend that was there just for them, to make sure that they were handling the birth well and understanding everything. A side effect of that was that they weren't tempted to bother mama with anything, since they had someone there for them already. Both of their 'birth buddies' brought activities for them to work on together. My 6 year old, Elsie, kept a labor journal with pictures and comments about what was happening. My 10 year old, Moriah, was working on a cross stitch project with her birth buddy. There were other things to do as well during labor, such as baking the natal day cake and playing games. They both did really well, and I was glad to have them there. One of my most vivid memories during transition is seeing Elsie smiling and dozing off on her birth buddy's lap. Interestingly, Moriah had a hard time seeing me in pain, whereas when she was younger at the last birth, it didn't bother her. Still, she wouldn't have wanted to miss her little sister's birth for anything! I believe that seeing birth as a beautiful, joyful beginning of life is healthy for them, and they will not fear it they would if it were an unknown quantity.

Anyone else have children at a birth? Or did anyone see a birth as a child and want to tell how it affected your view of birth?

Be a Friend To Your Fridge - Blog Entry

27 Nov 2006 08:51 AM

How did you know about those hard to remove deposits? :-) Fun and informative post, thanks!

More Clever Cleanup Tools - Blog Entry

25 Nov 2006 09:27 AM

I love the coffee filters for cleaning glasses tip- the lint free cloth never seems to be around when my daughter comes to me with her dirty glasses. I'll give it a try next time!

Preparing for a Trip to the Emergency Room - Blog Entry

24 Nov 2006 11:02 PM

I just made an ER trip this last weekend for myself, and took my 2 week old baby girl with me, since she is breastfeeding. These are some great ideas. I ended up being admitted for an emergency appendectomy, and was very glad that I had thought far enough ahead to bring a hairbrush! I was also glad that I had brought my knitting and plenty of diapers and baby stuff. Things I wished I'd brought- extra pads, bottled water, and breastmilk for the baby. I never thought that I would be in a situation where I wouldn't be able to feed her for a while, and it would have been handy to have some frozen breastmilk for the occasion.

Why I Am Thankful For My FAT - Blog Entry

24 Nov 2006 06:07 PM

This is so true! The body is an amazing design, and I am thankful for it.

10 Reasons I'm Thankful I'm Homeschooling - Blog Entry

24 Nov 2006 05:59 PM

Amen, Nola! You can't stop the learning! :-) Hope y'all had a beautiful Thanksgiving.

Great Book Ideas for Babies & Toddlers - Blog Entry

21 Nov 2006 05:02 PM

Baby books can be incredibly dumb, so I go out of my way to find interesting ones. I'm going to check out these recommendations! A couple of my favorites are Sandra Boynton's Red Hat, Green Hat; and That's Not My Bunny! from Usborne Books (there's a series of these touch and feel books).

Post-Natal Fitness: So You Just Had a Baby .... - Blog Entry

21 Nov 2006 04:53 PM

I'm two weeks postpartum, and just out of the hospital after an emergency appendectomy! As hard as it is to accept, taking care of myself right now means sitting still. sigh. I was so hoping to get back to the gym with my husband soon!

Why Women Choose Homebirth - Blog Entry

21 Nov 2006 04:42 PM

I've had a bad experience c-section, a horrible hospital VBAC, a wonderful hospital birth, a nice experience c-section, and now 2 beautiful homebirths. There is no way I would go to the hospital without a medical reason. The homebirths were so peaceful and special, surrounded by family and friends. I know many people are simply not comfortable with birthing outside of a medical establishment, and I never pressure them. But in most cases, birth shouldn't be a primarily medical event. That being said, I feel spoiled with the best medical attention available at both my homebirths. My CNM is with me the entire labor, and can instantly spot if something changes or the flow of labor doesn't seem right. In a hospital, a nurse will check in on you, but may not notice (or believe you!) if something unusual happens. If we ever needed it, we are minutes from the hospital, and my trusty OB/GYN is my homebirth midwife's backup doctor. Perhaps some husbands could see the logic of this. Of course, homebirth statistics are quite good, and you can find lots of evidence in favor of homebirth by googling it.

Homebirth is definitely a beautiful and safe option for most people.