Next Class- Starting Sooner Rather Than Later ;)

In order for my students to complete the 6 week class series before their babies arrive, classes will start July 14th (next week)! Classes will be held Thursday evening from 7:30p-9:30p and are located very close to BroMenn Medical Center (address will be sent to you privately). The class fee is $115 and includes a copy of The Christian Childbirth Handbook.

Topics Include:

• Stewardship of Pregnancy
• The Labor Experience
• Comfort Measures and Labor Positions
• Options in Childbirth
• Parenting Your Newborn
• Breastfeeding

If you are interested in attending please contact  me (Jessica) at one.doula@gmail.com or 309-319-6035. Space is limited.

Students receive a $75 discount off of doula services!

 

La Leche League International’s Deal of the Day

Have you seen LLLI’s deal of the day? If you are not already a supporting member, this is a great opportunity! You get the annual supporting membership card along with the New 8th Edition of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding for only $15 (with FREE shipping on US orders)! With your supporting membership card you get 10% savings on items purchased in the LLLI online store, special offers and advanced notices on LLLI store items, and Breastfeeding Today- their global online publication with breastfeeding research; articles; resources and products. Best of all, you are supporting a great organization helping mothers worldwide!

Announcing Next Series of Classes

I hope you have been enjoying this summer as much as my family has. We’ve been taking advantage of the pool and the grill as much as possible and loving every minute of it. I was a little bummed when a camping trip I had been planning for months had to be cancelled last minute due to the threat of hail but what can you do? Summers in Central Illinois are a little crazy and you have to roll with it. Kudos to my husband for turning a bad day into a fun night by suggesting a date night to one of our favorites- Maggie Miley’s instead

As my very class is wrapping up and my couples are getting closer and closer to meeting their little ones it is time to start looking forward to the next series of classes. My next class will be held on Thursday evenings and will run August 4th – September 8th.

I really enjoyed teaching from Birthing Naturally’s curriculum and will continue to do so (The Christian Childbirth Workbook is included with the cost of the class).
E-mail or call if you are interested.

Fun in the sun

Woohoo! It is warm and sunny outside We have been trying to make the most of the sun-shiny-days and getting outside as much as possible. Wednesday the boys and I met a bunch of friends out at one of my favorite places- the Sugar Grove Nature Center. Whenever we go out there I always think how great it would be to have a bird sanctuary in our backyard. Well, I’ve decided to go for it! We are just in the planning stages at this point but Isaac and Owen have had a lot of fun learning about the different birds in our area, the things they like to eat and what might attract them to our yard while Silas has had a great time “helping” by digging in the dirt. I’ll be sure to post our progress

ICAN

Four months ago, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) came out with the report that our nation’s cesarean rate again hit a record high.  To add insult to injury, 2009 was the 13th consecutive year to show an increase in cesarean sections.  To quote the report itself, “The cesarean delivery rate rose to 32.9 percent in 2009, another record high.” 32.9%

Just for a little bit of perspective- when the cesarean rate was first measured in 1965 it was at 4.5%.

The International Cesarean Awareness Network, Inc. (ICAN) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).  Our local ICAN chapter is the ICAN of Central Illinois.  You can find your local group (and grab some info on volunteering) here.  Don’t have a local ICAN?  Start one!

 

Spring Cleaning

I am loving this weather and refuse to look too far into the forecast- I am going to enjoy it while it is here! I know that the old-fashioned-week-long “spring clean” isn’t exactly what she use to be now that we don’t heat our homes with coal or wood (so we no longer need to clean the build up of ash/soot that had been caking up on the walls all winter) but there is just something about being able to turn off the heat and open the windows that makes me want to clean.  Not just regular cleaning, but move the furniture/go through stacks of papers/organize pots and pans/flip the mattresses kind of cleaning.

If you are a parent or a expecting mom make sure to check the products that you are using to clean your home, read the labels, wear proper protection (gloves, long sleeves, eye-wear, et.), and that you have proper ventilation in the room that you’re cleaning.  I love using vinegar, baking soda, salt, lemon juice and homemade cleaners for housekeeping but remember, even homemade cleaners should be well-labeled and kept out of reach of little hands.

Happy Cleaning

And the winner is…

Comment #4—   Erin!

Congrats, you’ve won a copy of All The Ways I Love You signed by the illustrator.  Please e-mail me at jessica@doulasetc.com with your mailing address.  Thanks to everyone who took the survey!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two blog entries in one day?

Could it be?  Well, what can I say?  I am just too excited about this giveaway to wait until tomorrow

A friend of mine came up with a product idea and would love some feedback, especially from moms.  He developed a short survey to help get some input.  It only takes a couple of minutes, your answers are completley anonymous and honesty is very much appreciated.

CLICK HERE FOR THE SURVEY

Now for the giveaway.  To say thanks for taking the survey he’s offered to give one of our readers a copy of Hallmark’s reacordable storybook, All the Ways I Love You signed by the illustrator.

So here is how you can enter:
1.  *This is required*  Take the short survey and leave a comment on this entry that you did so.  If you already took the survey from the link I posted on my Facebook page, that is cool- you can still leave a comment to enter.
2.  For an extra entry share this giveaway on your facebook and/or twitter and leave a seperate comment on this entry that you did so.
3. For EVEN ONE MORE extra entry share this giveaway on your own blog and leave a seperate comment with a link to your blog.
This book is so super cute and even though I did take the survey (which only took a few minutes, btw) it probably wouldn’t be kosher of me to enter my own giveaway so, yeah, I’m jealous!

The Small Print (which is mysteriously bigger)- this giveaway is running until midnight central time Sunday, February 27th. You will win a copy of Hallmark’s recordable storybook All the Ways I Love You signed by the illustrator, Aaron DeWitt. The book will be shipped directly to you from the illustrator. Open to U.S. residents only.  The winner will be chosen by random.org and will have 48 hours to respond.  If we haven’t heard from the winner within that time frame- a new winner will be selected.

Breastfeeding = Sagging?

I was sitting in the Labor & Delivery waiting room the other day when I overheard a soon-to-be grandma talking with who I assumed to be one of her other daughters as they waited for their new addition.  The conversation turned to things the new mom was still needing to get and on the list was bottles.  The grandmother then went on to say, “She was thinking about breastfeeding but I told her how it will make her boobs sag so she changed her mind real quick.”

I couldn’t help it, my head perked up so fast that I am sure everyone there heard the whip/crack of my neck.  The pair became aware of my sudden interest in their conversation and an awkward acknowledgment of one another followed.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop or anything.  I just couldn’t help overhearing your conversation and I had just read a study that suggests that the idea breastfeeding causes sagging is actually not true.  Pregnancy itself can do that but women who breastfeed didn’t have any added risks than those who don’t.  I am sure the lactation consultants here could answer any questions your daughter would have on that.  Anyway, congrats on your new grand-baby!” I answered.  The grandmother went on to back up her claim with stories of how all the women she knew that breastfed complained on how their breasts where “never the same”.  I just smiled, congratulated them again on the soon arrival of their new baby and gathered my things for a timely coffee break.  I didn’t think I would change her mind but the awkwardness kind of forced me to say something.

More than anything, that conversation just made me sad.  Sad for the new mom who didn’t have the support she needed.  Who knows if the real reason she chose not to breastfeed was because of her mom’s comments but the last thing a pregnant woman needs to hear from her mother is how her breasts will sag if she nurses her baby.  It also made me sad that our culture puts so much value on having “perky” breasts.  Studies have shown that breastfeeding doesn’t cause breasts to sag but that is beside the point.  Since when does the appearance of our breasts trump all of the health benefits you get from breastfeeding?  Breastfeeding helps the uterus contract, controls postpartum bleeding, and helps mom return to her pre-pregnancy state sooner.  Later in life, women who nursed their babies have a decreased risk for ovarian, endometrial, breast, and cervical cancers; lower risk for anemia; reduced risk for heart problems (heart attacks are the leading cause of death for women) and protection against osteoporosis.  These are just some of the short and long-term physical benefits for mom.  For a great article on the physiological and psychological benefits to mom check out this great article from Le Leche League International.

There are many reasons why women choose not to breastfeed but hearing a reason as trivial as less “youthful” looking breasts when I know all of the life-lasting benefits to mom and baby really breaks my heart.

We have a winner!

Congrats to Audrey Childers- you are the winner of the Peanut Shell hospital gown!  Go ahead and e-mail me at jessica@doulasetc.com letting me know what size you would like (Either S/M or L/XL) and your mailing address. 

 

**There were 32 eligible comments (My replies were not included) and comment #17 was chosen using random.org