How I Am An Attachment Parenting Nana

May 162012
 

Back in the day…. before the coined phrase Attachment Parenting was even noted, I practiced attachment parenting. What did that look like?

I nursed my babies as they desired for as long as they desired and allowed them to share our bed at night. We loved it! It was easy and having three babies in four years, it helped us all get more sleep!

When my grandkids come over for the night, they have always been welcomed in our bed. We love having little ones snuggled in next to us at night.

I wore my babies. I loved wearing my first but after that it became a necessity to wear  the baby as you may have noticed- I had three babies in four years. I had one walking, one in the stroller and one in the sling. It was the way I could go out and get things done- and I loved it!

One of the thing I miss the most about not having a new grandbaby is not being able to wear that baby when I go out with my daughters. When they get to be big toddlers, since it is not done on a regular basis enough to help my body prepare for it, I can not wear the big toddlers. But I love being at the mall or the park wearing my grand babies!

I taught my children to be peaceful with others… no hitting or biting but using your words instead. I would love to say I never resorted to spanking my kids- but I did rarely. I hated doing it and feel I fell into my old childhood pattern that my parents left me an example of on occasion. But gentle guidance does not mean no discipline. I disciplined my children and they understood what “unacceptable behavior” was without being told they were bad. Continue reading »

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Newborn Weight Loss

Apr 022012
 

I just want to scream when doctors say a baby has lost too much weight and instead of getting the mom a great lactation support system in place, they demand the use of formula! There are a lot of criteria to look at! The first is an amazing article about whether the mom had a lot of IV fluids in labor:

Newborn Weight Loss and IV Fluids in Labor
Monday, October 31, 2011 at 8:15PM
Nancy Mohrbacher in Useful Breastfeeding Research

Until now, weight loss during the first 3 to 4 days after birth has been considered one indicator of how early breastfeeding is going.  If on Day 4 a newborn’s weight loss is in the average range of 5% to 7%, this usually means breastfeeding is going well.   Nearly all babies lose some weight after birth, because after floating in amniotic fluid for 9 months, they are born waterlogged.  Normal weight loss comes from the shedding of this excess fluid as they adjust to life on the drier outside.

But when babies lose more than 7% of birth weight during these early days, does this automatically mean they are not getting enough milk?  No, according to a recent study.

A greater weight loss may be completely unrelated to breastfeeding and due instead to excess IV fluids mothers receive within the final 2 hours before delivery.  According to this study, these excess IV fluids inflate babies’ birth weight in utero and act as a diuretic after birth.  Babies whose mothers received more IV fluids before birth urinated more during their first 24 hours and as a result lost more weight.  Number of wet diapers during the first 24 hours predicted infant weight loss.  This was true whether the babies were born vaginally or by c-section.  Another study published earlier this year had similar findings. Continue reading »

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Intact Penis Care

Jan 152012
 

I had a dad recently tell me that they planned to keep their son intact, but he was unsure how to take care of their son since he had been circumcised and only knew of that care. I recently received an email from Circumcision Decision Maker folks with a downloadable pamphlet to instruct in this very matter. If you are considering leaving your son’s foreskin alone and allowing him to make a decision later if he chooses to have it removed himself, then this download may be exactly what you are looking for. If you are still divided on whether to leave your son’s foreskin intact, their site may be a good one to gather information from.

http://circumcisiondecisionmaker.com/

http://circumcisiondecisionmaker.com/resources/foreskin-care-guide/

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No-Circ Information

Sep 072011
 

Let me say, this is not a balanced view of this decision- it is true though. You may not like their approach as intactivist but this information was important enough to make sure we shared it. I do not want to spark a debate. I personally am in favor of leaving healthy tissue alone and decisions to change a person’s body should be left up to them. I also do not think God made a mistake when he made us. I understand that some people follow a religious covenant and I respect that. I think the studies are showing that most boys today will remain intact. In fact a study I was told about by a friend who is a pediatrician showed that the higher the income, the higher the education- the less likely the boy will be circumcised. BUT I also feel this is your child. Just like other things like attachment parenting like the family bed, long term breastfeeding, wearing a baby in a sling- these are personal issues. Although I do think it is important to remember that just like a cesarean is major surgery- no matter how common place it becomes, circumcision is surgery and does carry risks with it. So, with those disclaimers, visit these links I received today from the NOCIRC folks if you want more information about circumcision and the care and benefits of an intact penis.

NOCIRC has produced a 20-minute educational video about circumcision, narrated by Dean Edell, M.D., which you can view at http://www.nocirc.org/ You have NOCIRC’s permission to download, copy, and distribute this free video for educational purposes.

A Circumcision Resource page has been developed for educators at http://www.icgi.org/birth_care_providers.htm Here you will find videos, articles, and pamphlets that discuss various aspects of the circumcision decision, as well as care of the intact child. Included is “The Prepuce,” a video produced by George Denniston, M.D., that discusses in detail the anatomy and functions of the foreskin.

One of the very best video clips that shows how circumcision changes the penis is this clip The purpose of the foreskin

A “New York Times” article reported that the U.S. circumcision rate has fallen from 56% in 2006 to 32.5% in 2009, according to the CDC. See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/health/research/17circ.html?_r=2

A growing number of men who wish they had been left intact (not circumcised) are benefitting from non-surgical foreskin restoration. You can learn more about this at http://www.norm.org/

Men when they turn 18 have the legal right to sue the doctor and hospital that circumcised them unnecessarily as infants. One man has already done that and received a financial settlement. See http://www.cirp.org/news/mndnewswire04-29-03/ Continue reading »

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CDC Study Says US Hospitals SUCK for Supporting Breastfeeding

Aug 042011
 

This is a great article that tells it like it is. http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2011/08/hospitals-bad-job-breast-feeding/ and this is the study link http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/breastfeeding/

Yesterday I got a call from a mom who had had a baby less than 18 hours earlier. Her daughter had been born unmedicated and gently. She was a VBAC baby who weighed 9 pound even. Beautiful baby that within the first hour after birth had nursed beautifully. She then began to have her heel lanced and her blood sugar checked before feeding each time. This is not a little prick- it is a full lance of her foot- making it quite sore I am sure. Her blood sugar was fantastic. But this baby girl cried after nursing often times. She had 12 bowel movements- so obviously it was not because she was not getting enough colostrum to make her bowels move great- and we all know her stomach is the size of a marble irregardless of how big she was! But guess what? Instead of teaching the mom to swaddle or soothe her baby, the nurses convinced her that her baby was hungry and crying because the mom was not producing enough!!! AUGH! It makes me want to SCREAM!!!! So, this article shares what the CDC studies prove- the hospitals sabotage the nursing relationship-

“– (And this one is astounding to me, hence the bold) In nearly 80 percent of hospitals, healthy breastfeeding infants are given formula when it is not medically necessary, a practice that makes it much harder for mothers and babies to learn how to breastfeed and continue breastfeeding at home.”

Baby Bottles

I wonder how much formula she was sent home with! Why can’t we educate those who could really make a difference for moms and babies? I honestly tell people there is not one hospital in our area that I think does an excellent job after the baby is born. There is either some stupid policy about bathing the baby or having to pay for an isolete like a recent hospital I doula’d at… or stupid stuff like this mom went through. ENOUGH! We need to stand up and SCREAM NO! STOP IT! ENOUGH!

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Phone Calls

Jul 192011
 

We hear it all the time… “Haven’t you had that baby yet?”  ”When is that doctor gonna induce you? You look miserable!” “I am waiting for my grandbaby- when is he coming?”

Friends and family are excited and anxious and are only sharing this when they make these comments. But every time the phone rings it is a reminder that you are still pregnant! You are trying to not be anxious. You are trying to be patient and trust your body. These phone calls are not helping!

May I make a few suggestions? When you first get your estimated due date- don’t tell folks the exact date. Give them a due month. “I am due sometime in June.” That helps folks- and you not be so dedicated to the actual day. Only 4% of babies actually come on that estimated due date. There is an assumption that all women have 28 day cycles and ovulate on day 14… but guess what- many don’t! It is assumed you conceived on the day you had sex….but guess what- sperm can hang out- especially the girl ones- for days before you become pregnant. And some women are slow cookers and some are fast. Who knows what you are?

If you have already given folks that date, then my I suggest this? Put a recording on your phone message. “Hey this is Mindy, we have not had our baby girl yet. When we do, we will put the stats on this message! For now, we are resting and preparing for her arrival. If you really need to leave a message please do so after the tone. I may or may not return it depending on how urgent you need a reply. Thanks for understanding.” And then quit answering the phone from all the well wishers who don’t seem to understand they are adding to your stress!

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