Your birth is YOUR dance

So, I started this blog off thinking I would write an informative blog on cesarean births. I had included a brief history of cesarean birth, the reasons a c-section may be necessary, and some information that could possibly help a woman avoid a unnecessary surgical birth. I deleted it.

One day I may make that blog. Not today.

I am angry. I writing this blog without thinking. Without stopping. This will be true uninterrupted emotion. My real unedited feelings about the mistreatment of women.

Women have been giving birth since the beginning of time. We have been squatting to birth our babies in fields while our mothers, sisters, and aunts watch over us. We have learned the art of birthing by watching other women birth. Its natural. Its normal. Its safe!

But, women no longer know the truth. They have been lied to, mislead and abused in the name of obstetrics. Doctors are putting birth into a box. Labor has a time limit. The baby has a size limit. The mother has an age limit. Women are being told not to listen to their own internal voice. This have got to stop!!

We are not broken. We have not changed. The knowledge to birth her baby is inside of every woman! We do not need doctors to tell us what to do, and how to do it.

Stop telling women when to push, how to push, what position to push in. STOP! Women don't need be told how to do these things, we are mothers on an instinctual level from the moment of conception.

WE ARE NOT BROKEN! We were created to birth our babies!

Hindering birth hinders a mother from being the very best mother she can be. Labor is a dance between mother and child. The mother gives a little, the baby gives a little and together they do it! When you force the mother to do the Cha-Cha when she and baby really wants to do the Rumba, you are cheating her out of the very first lesson of motherhood. And, we wonder why mothers are struggling to mother their babies.

What further infuriates me is that women aren't given the information to make a truly informed decision in regards to the birth of her child. I hear so often the misinformation and lies told to women by the very doctor who promised to "first do no harm"

Ladies, listen to me! We can't allow this to happen. Please stand up for yourself. Educate yourself. Do NOT just trust your doctor or midwife. Do you own research, but more importantly LISTEN to your instincts. Listen to your baby, listen to your body! You have all the knowledge that is needed to labor and birth on your own.

We need to take birth back! It doesn't belong to hospitals or doctors. It doesn't belong to midwives! It belongs to the mother and the baby.

Trust Birth Conference 2010 - Can you handle the truth?

I just got back from the Trust Birth Conference, and my mind is filled with things to reflect. I didn't get to attend many of the sessions due to the fact that Lilah wanted to be Ms. Chatty Cathy. But, you know what? It didn't matter. Just BEING THERE was amazing! I sat in the halls and got to talk with the most fascinating women I have ever met. I picked the brains of women who have been in the birth field for longer than I have been alive. I shared my birth stories with women who laughed and cried with me. My faith in being "with woman" has been restored. But, you know what I learned most from the conference?

TO SPREAD TRUTH!!

I used to be very vocal about my thoughts and opinions in regards to birth, breastfeeding, circumcision, vaccines and natural parenting, but for the last few years I have kind of kept quiet. I just wanted to keep the peace in hopes of making a few local friends. So, when the subject of birth or breastfeeding came up I would mostly keep quiet. But, no more. I can not allow all the lies that are out there to continue to be spread. It's not fair for women today, and it isn't fair for my daughter and her generation! I will stand up for TRUTH! I will be vocal, I will be loud, and most likely I will be disliked, and talked about. But, I don't care. I would rather someone hate me for who I am, than like me for who I am not.

I have so many thoughts that need to come out, and I plan to blog about them. I can't keep it in any longer!!

So, can you handle the truth??

Imperfect Parenting

Two mornings ago, I was a horrible, terrible, no good Mommy. I didn‘t want to get out of bed. I wanted to cover my head, roll over and sleep in. I longed for my teenage years when I could sleep until 12, drink until 2 and not take care of anyone but myself. As, I was drifting in and out of sleep, a harsh reality came to me. It was cold and wet, and smelled of pickles. Actually, it was Patrick bringing me the pickle jar to open. He, apparently, thought 6 am was a fine time for pickles.

I sighed and sat up. It was time to face the responsibility of motherhood. Meanwhile, Patrick is still attempting to eat the breakfast of champions by opening the pickle jar, which of course (you know it couldn’t happen any other way) spills all over my bed. I scream at him and immediately feel guilty. I shoo him away and attempt to clean up the mess. My screaming wakes Lilah, and she isn’t happy to be woken up in such a manner. (Join the crew, kid!)


So, Lilah is screaming, Patrick is crying, and I am attempting to wash the linen that is covered in the sweet smell of garlic pickles. From the kitchen I hear Corey saying very loudly “Oh no, it’s a mess’ I pour the laundry detergent into the washer, say a quick prayer to every god, saint and deity I know that it will be a small mess, and head into the kitchen. It’s no small mess. Almost an entire gallon of milk spilled onto the floor.


I am still not even fully awake yet. I want to cry over spilled milk. Whoever coined the saying “No sense crying over spilled milk” must not have been dealing with sleep deprivation, cranky children, and female hormones. I don’t cry, I scream. Again.

I clean up the milk, make the boys breakfast, and sit down. Ahh, I can relax for a moment. But, a screaming baby reminds me that I had forgotten about her, and I better get my butt up before she does something as drastic as scream even louder.

I go back upstairs to get Lilah out of the playpen. She is screaming her tiny, little, sweet head off. I pick her up, calm her down and find clothes for the boys to wear to school. I go back downstairs to get Patrick dressed, and attempt to put Lilah down. She is having none of that. A babies cry gets to me. It really does. Every fiber in my being is caterwauling at me to make it stop. So, what do I do with my precious little tot? I scream at her!

Are there any living beings that will be spared by my wrath? Watch out guinea pigs, you’re next!

I managed to scream at the boys two more times before getting them out the door to school. I felt awful all day. I have been screaming at them a lot more than I would like lately, and it sucks.

When you have grown up constantly being yelled at or hit for doing anything from just getting in the way, to something serious, its very hard to parent a different way. But, I try.

I know I shouldn‘t yell at my children. It isn’t effective in any manner, and is most likely harmful. Yelling isn’t discipline. It’s just a means for me to get my frustration out, and its not fair to my children for me to take my frustration out on them. Discipline should be calm, and gentle. Discipline has a nurturing tone of voice. Discipline teaches through communication. When a parent disciplines a child for acting unacceptably they are teaching their child why the behavior is unacceptable, not just that it is. Children are people too. I don’t believe they should be scolded or reprimanded. They should not be made to feel shamed or belittled. Yelling makes children feel all of those things. Yelling makes good kids feel like bad kids. A child should be talked to and with, not ever at.

But I am not perfect. Each and every day I attempt to be a better person than I was they day before. Some days I succeed, some days I fail. Some days I fail miserably. That day was one of those days. Today is a new day. I will move on (and so will my children) and I will try to do better. I am a perfectly imperfect parent!

Tasty Tuesday Part 1

This week I decided to do two Tasty Tuesday post.

The first one is of a yummy potato soup that I made for dinner and the second one is yet to come. Here is the recipe:

THE PLAN:

This savory low fat crock pot recipe is easy to assemble in the morning, then cook all day. Cream cheese and a sprinkling of bacon provide richness. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread. A healthy crock pot recipe bound to receive compliments.


Potato Soup

8 cups diced potatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed

1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Snipped chives (optional)



In a crock pot, combine the first 5 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add cream cheese; stir until blended. Garnish with bacon and chives if desired.



Yield 12 servings (3 quarts)

THE PROCEDURE:

Here is what you will need!

Begin by peeling and chopping the potatoes. I used about 10 small/medium ones to make it to eight cups.

Next cut the onion, I used about a half of onion.

Then I took all the ingredients (except the cream cheese) and threw them into the crock pot. I added a little extra pepper than the recipe called, and a few other spices that can not be revealed. (Not because they are secret, but becaust I don't remember, LOL!)  I also added a can of cheddar cheese soup by Campells at the suggestion of a friend. I stirred it all together and turned the crock pot on low for eight hours.

 My house was smelling scrumdiddlyumptious by the time dinner rolled around. The next step involved dropping the cream cheese into the hot soup. At first I was a little leary of the cream cheese, and when I put it into the soup it lumped up and made me even more unsure. I turned up the heat on the crock pot and just kept stirring until it was all melted. I had tasted the soup before the cream cheese, and it was good but the addition of the cream cheese made it YUMMO! I had some pre-cooked bacon that I threw into the microwave for a few seconds, crumbled it and put it on top.

 

 

 

 THE PRODUCT:

My husband also made a yummy salad, and I had purchased some pre-made wheat rolls that I heated.

 This soup was very good, and I will be making it again! :)

Trust Birth Conference 2010

It's March 1st! It's March 1st! Eck! It's MARCH!! What's the big deal about March, you ask? It means very soon I will be flying out to California and attending the Trust Birth Conference . Yipee! I am so super excited. Oh, you couldn't tell? Well..

YAY!

Yipee!

Woo hoo!

Awesome!!
Ahhh!!

Yay!

See, I am excited. ;) But, seriously, I think this is going to be life changing. I have never been to California, so that is one reason to be excited. I will be around thousands of women who TRUST BIRTH, or wish to trust birth more, reason two! Not one person will look at me like I am a nutso when I share my birth story, reason three. Oh, I could go on and on. Hmm.. I think I will. It's my blog, so nana nana boo boo! (Stick your head in doodoo)

I also get to see my wonderful friend Heather, who I love and miss dearly, and her precious baby girl, Eliza.

Very, very excited.

Look what is going to be on the agenda... these are the sessions I choose for my first choice:

Track 1 A. Panel: Trusting in Unassisted and Free birth


Track 2 C. Kristi Zittle: Updated Vaccination Truth—Natural Immunity

Track 3 D. Sheila Stubbs: Unbecoming Baby Lies

Track 4 D. Gloria Lemay & Kristi Zittle: Circumcision—Trust the Facts

Track 5 E. Doran Richards: Erasing Fear; Embracing Truth

Track 6 D. Kristi Zittle:Autism: Insights:Causes,Treatments,Prevention

Track 7 A. Panel: Licensure—Planning to Practice With or Without

Track 8 B. Dr. Elliott Berlin, DC: 20/20: Lowering the Ces. Section rate

Track 9 A. Debbie Sapp: Birth Truth and your Birth Business

Learning about freebirth, autism, vaccinations, lowering the c-section rate, birth truth, and business tips for my future ventures as a midwife. Ahh, sweet bliss!!
 
Wooohooo!!
 
Yippee!!
 
Ahhhhhh!!!