Sappy Autumn

It's going to be a sappy fall. First, Lily turned one. Then We (soon after) have our 4th wedding anniversary, THEN my brother in law and very good friend are getting married. I'll be sure to post pics :) In the mean time here is a quick photo update of what Lily has been doing lately.


Now who's ready for hot chocolate and sweaters??

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Dear Lily: 1 Year

Dear Lily,

     From the beginning Mama and Daddy wanted you so much! We kept trying and trying but every month we found out the same thing, you weren't here yet. Finally on one cold January morning we found out the wonderful news, we were having a baby. As the months went by Mama researched the best of everything and Daddy went to work on making your room PERFECT. We were so anxious to meet you! The first time we saw your face we new we were in love. You were so beautiful and spirited. That night you cried most of the night. We were exhausted but loved you so much it didn't matter. Every moment we spent with you made us love you a little more! You were such a sweet newborn. You didn't cry much, you loved to cuddle and smiled all the time. From the moment you took your first breath, you had a fan club. Your grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends all loved you!

     Now as each day passes, we realize how cherished those memories are. You will never be a newborn again, but you will always be our baby. Each and every day you amaze us. Nothing could exemplify Jehovah's wonderful creation more than you. We love you more than anything in this world and can't wait to see you grow each and every moment.

Love,
Mama and Daddy
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Lily's First Year!

On this day last year I had the most amazing, life changing experience. I had my beautiful little girl. It's hard to believe she is already one year old. Oh man, I am the mom of a one year old, how did that happen?!?!

On this day last year I gave birth to a little girl who was so headstrong, she wouldn't sleep in the bassinet the hospital insisted we use. Instead Barry, Lily and I curled up on the (tiny,broken) hospital bed and cuddled all night. That's when we knew she had some real personality. She started grinning at 7 weeks and imitating us at 10! The next week she started rolling and laughing. Then at 13 weeks she started scooting in circles. I loved seeing her scoot around the floor like she was on a mission! At this point, I felt like we had a REAL baby. She was showing so much personality and keeping me on my toes. Then came 19 weeks... she started sitting and diving into the floor to get a toy. She also started walking with the help of our fingers. By this time Spring had come and she loved to play outside. She was a real dare devil!! By 8 months (33 weeks) she had started crawling and then at 9 months (36 weeks) she was pulling herself to stand and furniture walking. This became a real treat because she could stand up, move around, but didn't know how to get down! She was begging for help every few minutes!!

That brings us to now. At 12 months (Oh man) I have a real kid. She is such a big girl now! She can entertain herself, throw fits, let us know what she wants (or doesn't want) and is absolutely HUGE. Ok not really, she is a little girl but to me, she is huge. She has grown so much. It's such a bitter sweet feeling! She enjoys anything that isn't meant to be played with (by her). For example:

• Yo-yo's
• Dishes
• Cups, ESPECIALLY cups
• Phones
• Paper
• Dogs (mostly biting them)
• Laundry
• Daddy's computer wires
• Anything on the couch
• Opening the kitchen gate
• Doors
• Grass
• Curtains
• The Treadmill and weight bench
• The Weights
• The Scale

This list could go on forever. She has so many toys that we rotate each week, yet she would rather play with everyday items. When she does play with her toys she plays with them in her own way. She fills her stacker cups with smaller toys and shakes them. Inventive! She climbs up and down anything on different levels for hours. Loves to learn! She reads her books in bed when she wakes up. Smart! As I type this she has the string of the yo-yo in her mouth and she is walking away, watching it roll behind her. Curious. She loves looking at pictures, reading books, dancing, clapping, and babies. Yes babies, I think I'm going to have a jr. mommy on my hands! 

When my sister and I were little, my mom recorded herself singing a special song on cassette for us. We would listen to it all the time! Since I don't have the voice my mom has (or do I? /*breaks window whilst singing*) nor do I currently have the means to convert cassette audio to mp3 (this will be happening soon though!!) here is a video dedicated to Lily and my own mama (thanks for the memories!).

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Captain Crabby Pants

My father is a crabber. He is a waterman at heart and loves to share his love with his family. We all got to experience a little piece of his heaven, and Lily LOVED it.

Getting her sea legs

Starting to feel adventurous, one handed hold.

"The wind in my hair, sun on my face, I like this mama!"

Getting it done!

My loves :)

Team work!

A very happy grandma with a very happy Lily!

Looking over the edge!

She sat down, fell forward and fell asleep within seconds!

How she spent the rest of her morning.

That's one beautiful family!!

Getting curious

Going for a Daddy, Daughter swim at Public Landing

Mama joined in too :)

After we got home we had a super crab feast with some friends! A bushel and a half of fresh steamed crabs, corn on the cob, fried chicken and brownies! MmmMmm good :)

Lily loved spending time with Grandma and Poppop and had the time of her life on Poppop's boat. Pin It Now!

Miss Independent

We are at the start of the independent stage. Our dear Lily wants to do everything herself. Brush her own teeth, get off and on the potty, rip apart the house and more recently put toys away!! Our little girl is growing up.

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Beauty and/or Beast

me: Do you want to get down?
her: flap flap flap flap.

I haven't posted a proper photo update in awhile. Lily is now 10 months old and HUGE! She is so active it's hard to keep up with her. She pulls herself up to stand on just about everything and her favorite toy is the treadmill. She climbs up there and plays for awhile then sits on the side and waits until one of us gets her down. She is standing, furniture walking, eating everything in sight, playing with toys (instead of eating them) well maybe a little eating of the toys too, and babbles all the time. She communicates well through her own signs and actions. Her yes is now a flailing of both arms, like a flightless bird. She shares wonderfully and is getting so independent. She is getting three more teeth, all at once (that makes a total of four!) She wants to do everything herself, without a diaper. Yes. She hates diapers. She hasn't figured out yet how to take snaps off *WHEW*.

Without further ado... my daughter. (P.S. Sorry for the blurry pictures, she is SO active now)

LILY MONSTER!! (Her new favorite game)

Playing peek a boo!

Who knew she loved the cob so much!

She went crazy with it!!

This one was just her size :)

The aftermath (that's asparagus and mushroom in her mouth)

Please let me in mama, I promise I wont drink the vinegar!

Dumping/Eating her cheerios.

Here is my little beast child who BROKE into our bedroom. Yes, she opened the door and tore it apart! That is my pump (and all the pieces), toilet paper ripped to shreds, pajamas, my contact stuff and some papers all over the floor. (There are those flailing arms after we asked her if she did it.)

My little lady with her purse. (Excuse the mess, a little lady tore her treasure box apart.)

In closing here is a video of Lily eating cor and asserting her independence. Crazy Beast.

There you have it. Our tenth month old beauty and/or beast. :)

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A Guide For Parents-To-Be: Part 3 (Pain Management and Pain Medication)

Pain Management and Pain Medication in Labor

One of the things pregnant women fear most is whether they can handle the pain of labor. It can be scary when no one can explain to you what a contraction feels like and everyone just wants to tell you horror stories about long hard labors! I'm here to tell you, you can. It is a mental game and with someone to support you (whether that be a doula, a good nurse, or a prepared partner) you can do this!!!! But what if you don't want to handle it. What if it is worth it to you to just get pain medicine instead? That's ok too!! This is your birth and you have choices, including  whether you want to take pain medication or not. So lets talk about some of the options out there and the pros/cons for each.

First, lets talk about some non-invasive pain management techniques. These techniques are what most doulas will use to help relax mom and minimize pain.

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• Position Changes- 
• Every woman is different. Different positions will be comfortable for different mama's. But there is one universal position that DOES NOT HELP with pain management. This is lying flat on your back in bed. When a laboring mom gets stuck on her back, she often feels the contractions way worse than they actually are. 
• Many hospitals want to continuously monitor or even intermittently monitor your baby's heart rate and contractions while you lye in bed. There are other ways though!! Often you can sit in bed, lye on your left side, sit on a birth ball next to the bed, etc. Do not be afraid to mention these alternatives! They will help you minimize pain. 
• Out of bed there are many other positions you can try. You can kneel, rock, sit on a birth ball, lay over a birth ball, walk, squat, lunge, dangle, lap squat, etc. All of these position changes will help move things along and minimize pain. There aren't really any cons to position changes. It may take a few to find one you like, but it is worth it.
• Accupressure-
• Accupressure can ease anxiety, mitigate pain and help speed things along if labor is stalled. 
• It can help dad, help mom. It can help mom, help mom. Accupressure is a very simple technique that can take the edge off of those agonizing contractions. 
• 4 points that will help most during labor: GB-21, Hand Point, KID1, SP-6. 
• Check with your doctor before using these points. Some women react differently to accupressure.
• Breathing Techniques-
• This is the easiest and most basic technique. EVERY woman should know at least one breathing technique to help her relax and get through a contraction. 
• The simplest and most effective is take slow deep breaths. It's as simple as that!! Slow breath in 2, 3, 4. Slow breath out 2, 3, 4. 
• Breathing greatly help in pain management. If you are not breathing, you wont be able to handle  it. If you breathe too fast, you may hyper ventilate! Get your partner or a nurse to help you remain calm and breathe with you when you start to feel anxious! 
• Vocalization also helps. Whether singing, humming or moaning. (I took to moaning.) 
• Relaxation/Focusing Techniques- 
• Once again different things work for different mama's. So try a few! You can try visualizations, massage, music, counting, or focal points. 
• Your doula may help you relax with Roving Body Check. 
• Heat/Cold-
• I have mentioned hot and cold packs in a previous post with tips to handle labor pain. Hot packs feel amazing, especially if you have back labor. I carry around two rice packs with me in my doula bag just for this reason!! Cold packs keep you from overheating, I mean you are running a marathon here!!!
• The warmth of a shower can relieve pain too. During the birth of my daughter I spent countless hours with the shower head on my back. The heat gave me major relief.  Some hospitals/birth centers even offer labor tubs! If one is available to you, I would consider trying it out!!

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• Counter Pressure-
• A different kind of labor is back labor. It is when you feel the contractions in your back, instead of your tummy. In the case of back labor counter pressure is vital. You may like constant pressure against the pain or light massaging or heavy massaging! Be prepared (partner) to try different styles that work for the mama.

Now onto pain medication. After all, that's what most of you want to know about!!

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• Systemic Painkillers-
• Often narcotics or tranquilizer's. 
• Narcotics are used to take the edge off of the pain. You can still feel it, it just isn't so bad. They are usually given through IV or less often injected into muscle. Often, you cannot receive narcotics after 7 or 8 cm because it will effect the baby. These can make you a bit sleepy and nauseous. They take effect within minutes.
• Narcotics are often given with a tranquilizer. The tranquilizer is used to calm anxiety or nausea. 
• Pros- Narcotics often lessen the perception of pain for 2-6 hours and promote rest. 
• Cons- Don't eliminate pain. Often come with sleepiness, nausea and may temporally depress breathing for you or baby.

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• Epidural-
• An epidural numbs the lower half of your body. It is continuous pain relief that is delivered through a catheter (small flexible tube) inserted into the space just outside the membrane that surrounds the spine. It can be turned down or up if the dose needs to be adjusted. This is the most common pain medication used in labor. 
• Pros- Alleviates most pain. You are awake and alert (if you want to be hehe). Usually has little effect on baby.
• Cons- May decrease your blood pressure and lower baby's heart rate. It can cause temporary difficulty in breathing. You may need a catheter since you often cannot empty your own bladder. Fever, soreness and itchiness at the injection site are common. May make pushing more difficult and additional interventions such as pitocin, vacuum extractor, forceps or cesarean may become more likely. You must remain in bed which could stall labor. You usually must remain in bed after birth (per hospital policy). A headache in the days following delivery is possible. May cause some trouble latching on to breastfeed.

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• Spinal Block- 
• A spinal is very similar to an epidural. It has the same effect on your body however it differs in two ways. 1. It is delivered directly into the spinal fluid. 2. It is a one time injection instead of a continuous feed. This results in an immediate reaction but doesn't last quite as long. 
• Usually used late in labor when there is no time to wait for an epidural or more recently in combination with the epidural. 
• Pros- Complete pain relief in lower body for 1-2 hours. Medication is only given once and you will remain alert and awake. Usually has little effect on the baby.
• Cons- May decrease your blood pressure and lower baby's heart rate. It can cause temporary difficulty in breathing. You may need a catheter since you often cannot empty your own bladder. Soreness at injection site is common.  May make pushing more difficult and additional interventions such as pitocin, vacuum extractor, forceps or cesarean may become more likely.  You must remain in bed during labor. A headache in the days following delivery is possible.  May cause some trouble latching on to breastfeed.
• Local Anesthetic-
• A local anesthetic is often used during labor to numb the tissue in the vaginal opening if an episiotomy is needed. More often, it is used if your care provider has to repair a tear. It is injected into the vaginal tissue or perineum and takes effect very quickly.
• Pros- Temporarily numb a specific area. Negative effects are rare.
• Cons- An allergic reaction is possible. Not for labor contractions.
• Pudendal Block-  
• A pudendal block is usually given in the second stage of labor just before delivery of the baby. It relieves pain around the vagina and rectum as the baby comes down the birth canal. It is also helpful just before an episiotomy.
• Pros- Relieves pain in lower vagina and perineum for up to an hour. 
• Cons- May work on only one side of perineum. Cross placenta and can effect breast feeding relationship immediately after birth. Risk of hematoma and infection (although rare)

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Labor is a personal time and experience. Opinions, needs and wants differ greatly. If decide against or decide to use pain medication, do not let other people's opinions effect you. This is your decision! As always, I invite you to educate yourself further on these options. Decide what is right for you by making an educated decision. 

Sending Easy Birth Dust Your Way!!

Covered in part 1: Important Decisions to Consider -

                              (Vaccinations, feeding baby, circumcision, discipline, and routine procedures)

Covered in part 2: Interventions

To be covered in part 4: Making Decisions on Raising Baby
                             (Babywearing, Day Care, Montessori Method, Co-Sleeping, Introducing Solids)

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