Natural Family Living

Choosing the Right Birth Plan for You and Your Baby

 

Motherhood is a very special time in a woman's life. It is a time like no other which can truly change and shape a person. More women are starting to choose natural childbirth to bring their babies into the world. The reason for this is because natural childbirth is better for both mother and baby.

Women who experience natural childbirth report that they have a more fulfilling, and rewarding experience. Natural birth is also better for the baby because the baby is born without drugs. This results in a baby that is much more alert and active.

 

These babies tend to breast feed sooner and with more success. They also tend to make eye contact much sooner with their parents. In our society it can be tempting to choose a medicated birth because it may look easier, but a medicated birth comes with many risks that could lead to complications, including a caesarian section.

Many women are also opting to birth at home because they have a higher rate of success with achieving the goal of a natural birth. This is because our home is our sanctuary where we feel comfortable and spend most of our time. Women who birth at home are more relaxed and have the freedom to birth how they choose.

 

In most hospitals a woman is restricted from birthing a certain way due to hospital policies. She is required to lay down in a hospital bed with bright lights and people prodding and pocking at her. Women tend to progress much slower in a hospital and more complications tend to arise due to invasive procedures. The birth process is rushed because women are “on the clock”, once they get there. This is not the case for every hospital though, it all depends on the area you live in, so be sure to do your home work and find a good hospital if you choose to birth your baby in this setting.

 

A hospital birth is the only option for some, but there are things that can be done to make a hospital birth more rewarding as well. The lights can be dimmed in most cases and some hospitals will allow you to change positions. Some hospitals are now equipped with relaxing birth tubs and suites where you can have a more fulfilling experience. There may also be a birth center in your area. Every woman should have the right to choose whether to have a natural birth or a medicated one.

The decision to commit to a natural childbirth is a very personal one. If your goal is have a natural childbirth there are a few things that you can do to prepare.

1). Educate your self by reading everything you can about natural childbirth. Read.. Read.. Read., and then read some… Take birthing classes and create a birth plan.

2). Hire a doctor or midwife that is supportive about natural childbirth. It can also be quite helpful to hire a doula as well. A doula can help you by being your advocate in the hospital and also help you to control your pain during childbirth with massage and other methods.

 

3). Prepare in advance by getting as healthy as possible. Eat healthy foods and try to get in good shape before getting pregnant. Take extra vitamins, drink pure water and treat your body with care. Eat organic fruits and vegetables on a daily basis and find time to relax. Drink only pure water.  

Wonderful Books About Natural Childbirth

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon

Easing Labor Pain: The Complete Guide to a More Comfortable and Rewarding Birth by Adrienne B Liberman

Gentle Birth Choices: A Guide to Making Informed Decisions About Birthing Centers, Birth Attendants, and Water Birth, Home Birth, Hospital Birth by Barbara Harper

 

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please comment. I love hearing from you! :)

 

Sarahberra

 

 

Getting a good start with Breastfeeding

*Breast feed your baby as soon as possible after birth. Preferably within the first ten minutes.

* Work with a lactation consult or nurse to establish the proper latch. A good latch will eliminate much of the soreness and pain that can be associated with breast feeding and will allow your baby to get milk more easily.

 

When the baby is latched on properly breastfeeding is not painful and will result in a better nursing experience for you and your baby. Make sure the baby isn't just sucking on the tip of your nipple. The baby’s lips need to be curved outwards, with all or most of the areola and nipple in the baby’s mouth.

 

*Avoid artificial nipples at least in the beginning. This includes pacifiers and bottles. You want your baby to get used to nursing from the breast and not from an artificial nipple.

 

*Drink a lot of water! At least 8 to 10 glasses of pure water each day! Be sure that you have water with you every time you nurse.

*Relax! Just relax and hold your baby. Forget about other responsibilities or chores. Focus on you and your child along with the nursing bond that you share. The dishes and laundry can wait. This is your time for you and your baby. Nurse often and for long periods of time.

 

*Sleep when your baby sleeps. Get rest often. Resist the urge to get everything done. You need your rest.

 

* Use support pillow to help support your baby and yourself. My favorite nursing pillow is the boppy.

 

*Before having your baby be sure to educate yourself as much as you can on breastfeeding. Recommending reading include: The Breastfeeding Book by Dr. William Sears and The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League. Join your local La Leche League support group.

 

Interesting Breastfeeding Facts

*One Single Drop of this precious fluid contains over a million live white blood cells!! Breast Milk is a living fluid. In ancient times, it was called white blood because of its healing properties.

*Breast milk contains hundreds of special nutrients not found in infant formula along with anti bodies that help to build your baby’s immune system.

 

*Studies show that breastfeeding dramatically reduces the risk of SIDS.

 

Benefits for Mother

* Promotes emotional well-being-

Mothers who breast feed their babies have a lower risk of post partum depression and anxiety. The hormones produced by breast feeding help the mother to relax and feel more at ease. The main hormone responsible for this is prolactin. Prolactin is known as the "mothering hormone."

 

*Weight Loss-Studies also show that mothers who breast feed lose weight much faster than mothers who formula feed. The reason for this is because of the extra calories it takes to nurse a baby.

 

* More Economical-Depending on the type of formula it costs around $1,200 a year or more to formula feed your baby. A breastfeeding mother just needs a small amount of additional food which would cost about $400 extra per year. The difference is substantial.

 

* Reduces the Risk of Breast, uterine and ovarian cancer-Breastfeeding reduces a woman's risk of develop breast cancer by as much as 30 percent or more depending on many children she breast feeds and for how long. Studies show the longer the better in regards to lowering this risk. In addition to this, breastfeeding also reduces a woman's risk of other female cancers because less estrogen is available to simulate the lining of the uterus and the ovaries usually take a break for the first few months while a mother nurses.

 

Benefits For Baby

*Helps prevent allergies-

Babies who are exclusively breastfeed for the first six months usually have no food allergies. In addition to this breast feeding has also been shown to provide protection against environmental allergies and asthma.

*Better Brains- Studies show that babies who are breastfed have much higher IQ's. There is DHEA and special omega 3 fats found in breast milk that aid in brain development.

 

*Better digestion- Breast milk is much easier for babies to digest. It is thin like water and has a very sweet taste that babies love. It is also chuck full of the beneficial bacteria known as flora. This helps the immune system and the entire body to function better. Less diarrhea, and fewer gastrointestinal infections makes for a much happier baby. Stools of breastfed babies also have a less offensive odor. Breastfed babies also smell better.

 

*Better Oral Development- Studies also show that babies who were breastfed have better teeth and jaw development.

 

*Protection against childhood cancers- Babies who are breastfed have a much lower rate of developing cancer. This protection even extends into adulthood.

 

*Protection against adult obesity and diabetes-breastfed babies have more of the protein hormone leptin in their blood which is a substance that researchers believe plays a role in regulating appetite and fat.

 

Enjoy this special time with your baby. Please feel free to comment. I love to hear from my readers.

 

Sarahberra :)

Have Fun Boating While Keeping Your Kids Safe On Board

This article was published in Boating Times Long Island Magazine. It is not to be used for redistribution in any other boating magazine or web sites without the written permission of Boating times and the author, Sarah Ince.

 

Boating with your children is a wonderful family activity that creates lasting memories filled with the excitement and freedom of being out on the water. While having fun on the boat is important, safety is even more vital.

First time out, give children time to get comfortable before leaving the dock. Keep planned activities limited to short intervals for small children. Teach them about boating safety and be clear about the rules before getting on the boat; stress the importance of why the rules need to be followed to keep everyone out of harm’s way.  At a minimum, even small children can be taught the most basic boating rules:

1).Stay seated when the boat is moving.

2).Keep your hands and arms inside the boat.

3).Wear your PFD at all times.

 

Never rely solely on your ability to swim to keep you and your family safe; everyone should wear a PFD (life jacket) on a boat at all times. Simple arm floaters commonly seen at the pool are not going to be enough to protect your child at sea. Adults should set the right example for children by wearing PFDs.  According to Bruce Wright, Coast Guard Petty Officer, 7^th District Recreational Boating Specialist, “our statistics show that 90% of the people involved in a boating fatality were not wearing their life jackets.” As there are so many different PFDs to choose from, it is hard for many people to pick.

 

Consult the US Coast Guard website before going shopping, then choose an appropriate, USCG approved garment that will support the entire upper torso and is neither too small nor too big. You should be able to buckle the life vest so that it fits snug on the body, but not too tight. There should also be no extra space under the arms.

The inside panels of PFDs have instructions on how to wear the vest plus information about weight and height requirements. An infant PFD is made for children less than 30 pounds (small children tend to float face down, so extra floatation material is added behind the neck). A child’s size is made for children between 30-50 pounds. A youth PFD is for those between 50-90 pounds. If your child is over 90 pounds you will need to purchase an adult PFD.  Have the youngster fasten all buckles to be sure you get the perfect fit (most life vests made for children have three buckles across the front). Never buy a vest with the idea that your child will grow into it. This is fine when buying clothing, but it’s never okay when it comes to PFDs!

 

Beyond PFDs, there are additional measures that you can take to kid-proof your boat. Keep all loose items packed in storage compartments to avoid tripping, as many people fall overboard when common sense is not used. Never exceed the maximum capacity for your boat, as accidents also occur due to over-crowding. In case of an accidental spill into the water, the Safety Turtle is an alarm that will sound. The product retails for $235 and can be purchased online at safetyturtle.com or at retail stores.

 

There are also post-factory modifications that can be made to make your boat even safer, such as installing a higher railing around the boat and mounting hand guards. A reputable marine retailer or boat dealer, or even a marine-savvy baby proofing company, can assist parents in making their boats safer so all can enjoy memorable family adventures at sea.

 

I hope you found this article helpful and informative.

 

Sarahberra :)

Pamper Yourself with Organic Skin Care

There are a variety of safe “non toxic” organic skin care products available at your finger tips. In fact there are more choices now than ever before. Many people switch to organic skin care products because they care about the health of their skin. Some people also have allergic reactions to chemicals found in most conventional skin care lines making organic products their best option.

 

Why is organic skin care important?

Our skin is vitally important to our overall health. Many people don’t really think about this, but our skin is complex living tissue that breathes and absorbs everything we put on it. Name brand conventional skin care products contain harmful chemicals such as parabens which have been linked to breast cancer.

 

Organic skin care products contain pure ingredients that come directly from nature. Many ingredients such as shea butter, olive oil, aloe vera, vitamins, minerals, papaya, herbs, and fruit extracts are found in natural skin care products.

 

Some of my top personal choices are made by Burt’s Bees, Live-Live and Hylunia. You can only find Hylunia at specific spas and doctors offices. Burt’s Bees can be found in most stores or on line. Live-Live can also be found on line. I love their raw honey based products. I notice a big difference in my complexion when I use these products consistently. My favorite product is Bee Yummy Skin Food. This moisturizer is made from all raw organic ingredients such as st johns wort oil, honey cappings, bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly, raw honey, balsam fir needles, and purified water.

When looking for organic skin care its best to choose brands that specifically say certified organic on the label. However, there are also some very good skin care brands that are not completly organic.  

 

If you can’t go completly organic you can at least try to avoid buying products that contain certain ingredients. I will list some of the most harmful and toxic ingredients below.

 

Harmful Ingredients to Avoid

 

Many of the following ingredients are found in most conventional hair and skin care products. There are thousands more ingredients out that are used in many of the major brands. For a more extensive list of cosmetic ingredients and what they do you can buy the book, A Consumers Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients by Ruth Winter M.S.

 

Aluminum

 

This ingredient is found in most antiperspirants and some skin care lines. It works by blocking pores so that sweat can't be released by the skin. Studies have shown aluminum to be linked to Alzheimer's disease.

 

Benzoates

 

This is used as preservative in some carbonated drinks and cosmetics. It can cause numbing in the mouth, gastric irritation and has been known to bring on asthma attacks. Other names for this ingredient are bezoic acid, sodium benzoate, and parahydroxy benzoate.

 

Dibutyl phthalate

 

Used in hair skin and cosmetic products to increase absorption of other ingredients. Known to cause birth defects in animals, and damages the reproductive system of both men and women.

 

Formaldehyde

 

Used as preservative in hair skin and cosmetics. Can cause skin reactions and harmful to breath in directly.

 

Fragrances

 

Can be in the form of over 200 undetected substances some of which can cause serious skin reactions, dizziness, skin allergies, and hyper-pigmentation.

 

Isopropyl Alcohol

 

A drying agent from petroleum. This ingredient has been linked to certain cancers.

 

Keratolytic chemicals

 

Can be used in peels. Can cause a person to become more sensitive to the sun, thickens skin cells and can cause peeling. Other names for this are hydroxyl acids, retinoic acid.

 

Artificial Colors

 

Known to cause hyperactivity in children, blurred vision, water eyes, and headaches, FD&C derived directly from coal tar. These dyes are especially harmful to people who suffer from eczema and have sensitivities to aspirin.

 

Parabens

A petroleum product which can cause skin irritation and is also a xerestrogen contributing to the rise in breast cancer. The abbreviations are: propyl, methyl, ethyl and butyl, which can be found in many personal care products.

Feel free to comment and tell me about your favorite natural or organic skin care products. Have a great day!

 

Sarahberra:)