Hypnobirthing In the News

You're in Labor, and Getting Sleeeeepy - New York Times

A different way to give birth spreads around globe - Concord Monitor

Preeclampsia Study

From Yahoo! News, Vitamins Disappoint in Preeclampsia Study:

A disappointing new study found that vitamin C and E supplements given to healthy pregnant women do not reduce their risk of developing preeclampsia, a complication that can be lethal to both mother and child.

That's not too surprising. Someday "they" are going to discover the importance of protein in pregnancy, and that real food is better than supplements.

Maria Lactans

The Fish Eaters website has a page dedicated to artwork depicting Mary breastfeeding the infant Jesus (Maria Lactans). Very cool.

What strikes me about this image (a 1496 Michelangelo) is that apparently the holy family was praciting elimination communication as well.

Three Months Old

Andrew turned three months old this week. Definitely not a newborn anymore. He is much more interactive, loves to make eye contact, and is much more aware of his surroundings. When he is being held by a stranger (that is, pretty much anyone other than his parents and possibly his grandmothers) or when in a strange place, he tends to get upset easily. The new thing this week is that he will be startled by loud, sudden noises and burst into tears.

He can also hold a rattle, brings both hands together, and brings his hands up to his mouth. He is starting to reach out for things. Andrew has been drooling and chewing on his hands, so we suspect he is teething, though it seems a bit early. I don't recall exactly when the other two got their first teeth, but I believe it was earlier rather than later.

Andrew can roll quite easily from his back to his side, and can turn over without much trouble, although he's not sure what to do once he is there. We are giving him more tummy time and he is starting to push himself up with a little encouragement.

We tried him in size 3 diapers last week, but they were just too big, so we are sticking with the 2s for a while longer. He has lost some hair on the sides and the back, although it has already grown back in on the top, so it's like reverse pattern baldness. Has a bit of cradle cap, which I don't remember his brothers having at this age. He looks so much like them, although he is his own person.

He is still exceedingly calm. Daytime naps are getting to be more predictable, though often shorter than one would like. At night he sleeps like a champ. Now if only I would stop staying up until 2am blogging and just go to bed, I could take advantage of my uninterrupted 6 hours.

Respecting Birth

Giving Birth With Confidence posts Respecting Birth, a fascinating bit about cows.

That reminds me, I wrote about bovine lactation once but never posted it. Maybe I will dig it out.

Mommy Bloggers: Sometimes it's like this

Mommy Bloggers has a neat piece about being a mom called Sometimes it's like this:

On these nights you know that you could do this forever. You know that this moment was made for you to drink in, embrace and cherish. You know that if this is truly what life was, you could sit in this space for the rest of your life and never want for anything.

And then again, sometimes it's not.

Woman Gives Birth In Bathroom

Seems like every week or two there is a news item about an unplanned homebirth. But this one about a Kansas couple caught my attention because of the last part of the article:

"The baby didn't cry when she came out. She just kind of made some cooing noises and was just looking up at all the paramedics and her mother and me. It was the best day of my life," Shifflet said.
...
"I'm so proud of her. I feel like we did it together. I'm going to tell her she's my little mission accomplished," Schulte said.

Schulte said that deep down, she wanted to have a home birth.

Funny how birth works that way, isn't it?