Seed in the belly

As I stated in class, I'm not a big into celebrating Halloween, however, if you're going to dress up slash dress up your kids, this is the day to do it, right? And since our Class 5 fell on Oct. 31st, we did it in style. Our absolutely awesome couple, Sierra & Charlie, won the "Best-Dressed Couple" Contest! They also brought homemade vegan pumpkin muffins to share with everyone. 

They informed us that Charlie was the farmer that put the seed in Sierra's belly! P.S. The dread locks are for real :) And yes, there is an actual baby bump under there somewhere!


And they won... a whoopie cushion! J/K- it is an old fashioned hot water bottle, which can be used as a warm compress as we learned in class that can be an effective comfort tool in labor (and throughout pregnancy, or anytime actually, hot or cold). 

Coaches- it is your job to get one of these if your wife/partner would like to try this a comfort measure! 

If you do decide to use a good old hot water bottle, make sure you use hot tap water (not boiling water that could crack the container) and fill it 2/3 full. Securely close the stopper and dry off the bottle completely. Then, make sure turn it upside down over the sink and check for leaks.


While I normally like to link to where you can purchase these types of things for yourself, this particular one I bought from CVS (about $11). I don't want to link to any particular item since there are mixed reviews on most of them and I haven't tried any of them except this one.


We had a great first labor rehearsal! Wonderful job, beautiful moms and attentive coaches!

And now, for those of you who missed it, a quick pic of my two little puppies (a Dalmatian and a pink poodle) who made a brief appearance before class.

Book Review: The Baby Whisperer

Parents can say, "I love you," to their babies in many different ways as long as they are meeting the baby's physical, emotional, and mental needs... which is why I am presenting another view in contrast to my previous post.

Personally, I love The Baby Whisperer. For our family, her philosophy and techniques worked. While the author, the late English nanny extraodonaire Tracy Hogg, is very much for breastfeeding and understanding why your baby is crying, not sleeping, or feeding well, much of her practical advise differs widely from La Leche League's recommendations in The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding on which I just wrote a review. She advocates Parent Directed Feeding while listening to the baby's cues and sleeping separately from your baby. Getting your baby to sleep through the night is a goal she helps to attain, whereas it is not and should not be a goal for the first couple of years according to LLL's book.


Her basic premise is that mom and the baby need to work with a schedule that works for both of them (the whole family really), so that everyone's needs are met. To do that, she suggests E.A.S.Y. (Eat, Activity, Sleep, Your time) which involves not nursing/feeding or other props to sleep, but rather using other natural cues.


She does not advocate a strict schedule that must be maintained at the expense of the baby, rather a routine so that everyone involved knows what usually comes next and helps everyone feel calm and secure. She also helps you to understand "Banguage" or Baby-Language to understand the different types of crying how you can best soothe for the different senarios. She also addresses breastfeeding, working moms, starting solids, baby's emotional needs, and much more.

I think both The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (and other attachment parenting philosophies) as well as The Baby Whisperer books (philosophies advocating routines etc - NOT "Ferberizing" or "crying it out" methods) are both great, which is obviously why I recommend both books. I think that different things work for different families.


The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems By Teaching You to Ask the Right Questions is available to my current Bradley Method students for loan one week at a time.

Book Review: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

La Leche League International is an amazing grassroots-type of organization of a local female leader and other local moms supporting each other in breastfeeding. This book is written by the mothers in this organization and it encompasses much more than breastfeeding. It includes chapters titled, "Going Back to Work," "Human Milk for Human Babies," "The Manly Art of Fathering," and "Mothers Helping Mothers." This book is kind of like a continuation after a natural childbirth on to natural, baby-led mothering (also known as attachment parenting).

Here are a few questions (written by me) that are answered in this book, with corresponding page numbers:

•  What is important about the baby’s head and lower jaw position for breastfeeding?
• His jaw does much better if he lifts his chin so that his head tips back slightly, chin in firm contact with the breast, nose lifted free or nearly free of the breast. (pg 70)
• What are the three “Keeps” if breastfeeding isn’t working for now?
• 1. Keep your milk flowing – hand express or pumping; 2. Keep your baby fed – drops on a spoon, from a dropper or bottle if necessary; 3. Keep your baby close – skin to skin contact will comfort, warm, stabilize breathing and heart rate as well as allow your breast to be available whenever he is ready (pg 77-78)
• Does breastfeeding need to be on a schedule?
•  When research showed that scheduled feedings led to breastfeeding problems, and we came to understand better how breastfeeding works, the recommendation changed to “feed the baby when he gives you hunger cues.” (pg 134)
• What percentage of breastfeeding mothers in Western countries sleep with their babies?
• Between 44 and 75 percent of breastfeeding mother sleep with their babies all or part of the night. (pg 228)
•  How often should milk be expressed while at work?
• In a nine-hour separation from your baby, you can expect to pump 2-3 times. (pg 270)

I have a 7th Edition copy and an 8th edition copy (page number references above and pictured above) available to my current Bradley Method students, for loan one week at a time.

Amazon Mom

Who doesn't like free perks? Well, just for being the awesome mom that you already are, Amazon will give you a free 3-month Prime membership (free 2-day shipping) with the opportunity to extend (for free). Check it out for details at http://www.amazon.com/mom.

Book Review - Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way

If you'd like to do some additional reading about natural birth mechanics in addition to your Bradley Method classes, check out Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon. A word of warning that it does have some pictures (although they are circa 1975, made obvious by the lovely ladies' hairstyles and men's mustaches) with intimate views, if you know what I mean. There are great step-by-step instructions and contraction rehearsals for coaches and moms.


If I were going to recommend just one book in addition to attending class, this would be it. By the way, if you're going to buy it and use Amazon click through my site to support me at no cost to you!


Comment or email me to let me know if you read it and what you think!