Whoops!

Okay, I have been a bad blogger again. I had major computer issues, a sick little boy (RSV), a sick mama and daddy, and I am still raising eight other babies...chicken babies anyway.

Let me make it up to you with pictures. Lots 'o Pictures.

Here is the new brooder we made out of an awesome box from my husbands work. There is a roosting branch that you can't see in that picture.

Here were the babies at just a couple days old. Four Easter Egger's (on the right), 2 Black Australorpes, and 2 Barred Rocks.

Here are the two Barred Rock babies today. They are about 3 and 1/2 weeks old now.

A trip to the park always includes eating some rocks and dirt, and great mom I am, I just took pictures.

Wooo! Wooo!

He cheeses for the camera now...this was just the cutest picture!

Okay, have I made up for the absence? Cute chicks and cute kid. I promise to have more of an information filled post coming soon.

When I Say....

There was a blog post on The Leaky B@@b recently that I loved. It talked about common things that breastfeeding supporters say that sometimes hurt the feelings of/rile up/piss off formula moms. I wanted to make a similar post about natural birth supporters and mothers and those who get mad at their stories. Here is goes:

"Having a Natural Birth was the most special experience of my life."

 Translation: This does not mean that we think any birth that is not natural is not special. We simply mean what the statement says - we truly feel that our birth was amazing and it was made so not just because the baby came out of the deal, but because we had the natural birth we wanted/hoped/planned for. This does not mean that your cesarean section or medicated birth was any less special. This statement is not about you.

"I would never give birth in a hospital."

Translation: This means that I would not have a birth in a hospital (barring major medical need). This does not mean that I think no one should go the hospital. This does not mean that the person saying this is judging your choice to be in a hospital. This statement does not mean that I think home birth is for everyone....I am simply saying that it is for me. This also does not mean that you should start throwing out emergency situations - trust me, I know all about what an emergency would be (and they do not include full term babies, breech, or full term twins). This statement is not about you.

"I didn't want to hand my birth over to a doctor."

Other common phrases that come with this, or close to it, include: "I would not want someone bothering me all the time", "I don't want to be told what I can/can not do in labor", "I don't want to fight for my birth and labor." Translation: This means that I think that in a hospital this would happen. I simply mean that I don't want to do that. Period. This does not mean that I am calling you a sheep-person who follows hospital orders. This statement is not about you.

"I was so amazed at the power of my body."

Translation: This one is simple. My natural birth gave me an insight into my body and the wisdom it has. I didn't need anyone to tell me how to labor, when to labor, how fast to labor, or where to do it. This is a statement of a woman who was changed and empowered by birth. If you have an issue with this statement, it is probably because you are not happy with your birth experience. This statement is not about you.

Do you see a pattern? These statements, which tend to get so much fire and hate in a birth-sharing situation, are not about you. A natural birth mom has every right to say these things, and they are not a judgement. They are about her birth from her perspective. Why is it that mothers who love to tell stories about their "horrific", "horrible", "long", "painful" births can tell their story without issue (normally to a pregnant woman), but a natural birth story is a judgement? Perhaps you are jealous.


Disclaimer: I realize that my post has a bit more snark than the original post that sparked this (posted above). What can I say, I have some strong feelings about this and have had some bad run-ins with people over my birth story.

Sorry for the wait!

Sorry for the break from writing! It has been nuts around here. As an update:

I have been getting crafty thanks to Pinterest ideas, like this melted crayon art:

Very fun to do, and I have an itch to do more. Great way to recycle all those broken and messed up crayons from the kids.

In a week or so I will be going to my first midwifery study group/class. Lets cross our fingers no one goes into labor the day of the class (which is what happened last month so it was canceled). I got my first midwifery text book in the mail last week and have almost read the whole thing...I am so ready to go!

I ordered our chickens, we are getting 1 barred rock, 1 black australorpe, and 3 "easter egger" hens. I am very excited. They will be here around Feb 22nd. Baby chicks! We should have eggs by the spring/summer (when they are 5/6 months old). A long wait for eggs...but after that we have at least two years worth of eggs, so I figure I can wait.

I have started a birth/breastfeeding/baby lending library out of my house. If you have any books you would like to donate...just comment below. I will be using them and saving them for the day I have my own office as a midwife. For now, moms in my community are picking them up at my house to read. Education is so important to birth...and having books available for free helps so many mothers learn their options and educate themselves and their partner. Education is a huge goal for me in my area where midwifery has been "dead" for several generations (as well as breastfeeding).

I hope to be able to post more often over the coming weeks. Hang in there with me. If you have any ideas for new posts, please post below!

Unpaper Challenge 2012, an Update

I posted around New Year's that I was taking the unpaper challenge. So far, we have stopped using paper towels all together (there is still a roll in the back of the cabinet, but we don't plan to use it). I am using some cheap washcloths and flat diapers.

I have to say, while I was not patient enough to use flat diapers in actual cloth diapering, I love them for unpaper towels. They are large, so you can use just one of them all day to wipe up messes just by folding over to a new section when it gets dirty.

We have not started to use unpaper in the bathroom yet (also called family cloth). However, I do plan to start on a set for the bathroom soon. I saw a great idea on Pinterest (yes, I am addicted). They made them the size of toilet paper in width, so that it would go on the toilet paper holder. Then they added one snap between each in the middle to make a roll. No more basket for the wipes. Super cute idea, and I think I am going to do mine that way (or maybe just buy them on Etsy...we shall see). I think that some of our friends think we are nuts, but that's okay. I am doing the earth a favor, getting my counters cleaner (those diapers really scrub!), and saving $$$. Not bad in my book.

2012 UnPaper Challenge!

Alright folks, here is my New Year's resolution:

We are going to UnPaper for 2012.

What is unpaper-ing you ask? Well, it is basically what it sounds like. You try to eliminate excess paper usage from your home. For most people the easiest way to do this is to start with paper towels. Think about it...paper towels are probably the most wasteful (and most easily replaced) paper product in our homes. You use them clean up the counter or stove, to wipe or dry your hands. You can easily replace that with cloth.

Many people love to use old prefolds, Gerber birdseye flats (you can get those super cheap), old t-shirts, cheap washcloths (like the 10 packs at Target or WalMart), and many other cotton fabrics. You can even purchase special sets of unpaper towels from sellers on etsy that snap together and can go on a paper towel holder.  I am going to be using some of the cheap washcloths, some Gerber flats, and eventually getting around to making some "pretty" ones for when guests come over to use just for napkins. Any cotton fabric will work, for many a "pretty" set would be made of a nice print flannel on one side, and a terry cloth on the other. I personally love micro-terry (like what baby towels are made of).

The next step for many is to use cloth wipes in the bathroom. Some people are weirded out by this, but it is a logical next step, especially if you are already dealing with cloth diapers. Many people still keep toilet paper in the house for guests or for really um...messy...bathroom visits. Basically you would keep a basket of wipes near the toilet, either pre-moistened with a wipe solution or with a squirt bottle to wet them before use. We are going to start slow on this goal, using them mostly for "number 1s" and going from there.

Other ways to cut down on paper is to buy things that are packaged with a minimum of waste, using "mama cloth" (washable cloth pads), cloth diapering, and generally cutting down on paper use in your printer and other places. Save your paper and put your grocery list on your phone as a memo.

If you have any tips or want to join, please comment below! 

A year of breastfeeding!

As of my son's birthday (yesterday) we made it to a year of breastfeeding. We are still going strong and I have no intention of weaning him any time soon, but our official goal was a year.

Through the tough early days, the many nights of nursing a wiggly baby, all the way to the toddler antics and gymnastics, I knew that we would make it to a year. We set a goal and reached it.

I would like to thank the midwife and supporting cast who made sure that he was nursing within minutes of being born. I would like to thank my husband in a huge way...he was there to encourage and tell me how proud he was (and tell other people too!). I would also like to thank every mom who breastfeeds, every mom I have seen nurse in public, and every wonderful comment I have gotten about it. It erases the bad comments/looks I have gotten from a few random people.

If anyone has questions about breastfeeding...please send them my way. I would love to help another mother reach her goal.

Face Plant

Okay, prepare to judge my mom skills. Or laugh...either is fine.

Today my son was in his bouncy/jumper thingy (yes, that is the proper name for it). We have used this for months to great success. He gets to stand and bounce/jump, and I know he is in one spot so I can go to the bathroom.

Today we were doing our baby education time (signing, Your Baby Can Read, and a few other things), and he got cranky. I was just finishing an email to my professor, and told him (while sitting right by him, laptop in hand) "Hold on hun, just let mommy send this". He then stopped whining, grabbed the bars that suspend the contraption, and pulled himself out of the thing.

He then dropped right onto his face, sat up, smiled at me, and clapped.

Yes I just sat and watched. Should I have stopped him from face planting? Probably. Did I really just want to see if he could do it? Yes.

I also wanted to make damn sure that we were really done with that bouncy/jumper thingy...now I have to find something else to contain him while I rush to the bathroom to go pee.

Can I have one please?



Fountain in Italy

 Santa, I would like one of these for my front yard. I would like one in every town, in the major shopping center, or in the middle of the mall. I would like for every mother to see this. I would like for every artist to take in the beauty and create more of it.

A nursing mother is a wonderful, beautiful image. The abundance that a woman creates is magic. Maybe if more mothers, girls, and families saw something like this, nursing rates would be better in the United States. Milk production, otherwise known as lactation, is not something to hide. It is not shameful. It should not be put in the category as the other excrement of the body. This is not "bathroom" material, this is food for babies. The natural, normal food for babies.

I posted this to my Facebook as well. I hope that it makes someone smile, giggle, blush, or even get mad. I want the world to see nursing, mommy milk, and lactation in general as normal and beautiful.

(And for the record, this picture did make me giggle. I love it.)