Birth Story - Sarah and Gary

Sarah called me at 5:00am. She had been having light contractions since 1:00am, but they just started to become more regular, about 8-10 minutes apart, and intensify. This would be Baby #3, a girl, and her 2nd VBAC at home with a midwife. She was 39 weeks gestation.

Her midwife's assistant and I arrived at her house at the same time, 6:30am. Sarah answered the door and seemed the be handling her surges well as she made coffee and gathered some last-minute birthing supplies. She needed to stop what she was doing until the surge was over, and then continued on with what she was doing. The midwife's assistant set up the supplies in the bedroom, and I followed Sarah around, helping her and talking with her. Around 7:00am, the midwife wanted to check her. She was 5cm/100% effaced/+2 station. As the midwife finished up the exam, her water broke.

I helped Sarah into the bathroom to get clean up. As she sat on the toilet, her pelvis was able to open more, and the contractions started coming on faster and stronger. I think that the combination of this position and the water breaking allowed baby to move down even more. She wanted to go back to bed to lie down.

Things were really moving now. The surges were getting much closer together and much stronger. I showed her husband, Gary, how to massage her low back as counter-pressure and squeeze her hips together. He laid behind her, hugging her and whispering encouraging words to her. It was now about 7:30am. Sarah was crying out now, and saying that she had to push. The midwife calmly, gently said, "Then push your baby out." She turned over and started to push, the baby's head started to crown. I held her hand, supported her back and told her she was doing great and that her little girl would soon be here. Sarah pushed for about 15 minutes. Baby Grace was born at 7:45am and placed on Mama's chest. Baby never even cried. The bed room was dimly lit, and warm. She was placed immediately to her mother and covered in a blanket. There was no shock of harsh lights and cold, sterile air. There was no poking or prodding. The midwife let Baby lay with Sarah while the placenta delivered about 10 minutes later. Then Baby was given to Daddy to bond with while the midwife stitched up Sarah (slight tear), and then I helped Sarah to the bathroom to shower off.

When Sarah returned to the bedroom, the midwife did the newborn exams and foot prints, and then handed Baby Grace back to Mama to nurse. I helped Sarah get comfortable, and used some pillows for props. I made sure that she had good position, but this baby had no problems - she latched on right away! I stayed until 10:00am, making sure Sarah ate some food, stayed hydrated and helped with anything else she needed.

Although this was Baby #3 for Sarah, both her other labors were very long. Mentally, she had time to process what was happening. With this birth, everything progressed and intensified so quickly, she had little time to mentally prepare herself. She told me later that she still did not really believe that she was that far into labor until she had the urge to push.

The Joys of Toddler Nursings

"Love is to Live for Each Other"

Nolan is now a little over 2.5 and still nurses. Many people think he has weaned (or should be weaned!) by now. But, he is still going strong and I don't see the end in sight for awhile. But that is fine with me, because I find so much joy in still nursing him.

Our nursing sessions have certainly changed over the years, as one would suspect. While some mothers (or their children) decide to wean early, or not breastfeed at all, I have had the joy of really learning from my son on why he nurses. At one point in my life, I told myself that once they can talk and ask for it, they are too old to nurse. But I have realized that when a younger baby cries or signs to nurse, that is the same as an older child verbally communicating. My child, at different ages and in different ways, IS communicating with me! Looking back, I find it silly that I though that. Why should his chronological age or his way of communicating with me dictate what he is "too old" for?  How can I deny him? That is everything to him: warmth, comfort, love. I know there is not much in there anymore, but what he does get is still AMAZING stuff! As a mother, I am comforted by the fact that my breastmilk can serve a purpose more then nutrition. We have used it on scrapes, cuts and pink-eye, and when Nolan is not feeling well, breastmilk boosts his immune system and he is over that little cold in a few days - without drugs. He has never really been sick, never on an antibiotic.

When Nolan was an infant, I could tell from his face that he enjoyed nursing: He would come at me ferociously, latch on with a wide open mouth, then his eyes would roll back and close, and he would have the cutest smile on his face. As he got older, he learned to pull at my shirt and say "ba-ba". And, then he would just flat out say "I want ba-bas". Now, he can have a real conversation with me. He tells me that "Those are mommy's ba-ba's". But if my husband wants a feel, Nolan will jump in quickly defending his treasure and yelling "My ba-ba's, don't touch!".

Nolan - 2.5 years old

I love when we lay down for a nap and he will say that he "loves mommy's baba's". When I ask him why, he will answer "they taste good!", or "your milk is yummy!". When he gets hurt or is upset, he wants to nurse. I ask him why and he replies "it makes me feel better/happy." I always knew that breastfeeding was meeting his needs, but now it is so satisfying to hear him actually say it.

One night, my husband and I were out to dinner, and we were talking about parenting. I asked him if there was anything that bothered or frustrated him about how we parent. He said the only thing is that when he is watching Nolan alone and if he can not get Nolan to calm down. After he has tried all his tricks, he knows that all Nolan really wants is to nurse. He sometimes wonders if it would be easier if Nolan weaned so he would not be looking to nurse. I understand how that can be frustrating. I really don't think that weaning would solve the problem, though. These occurrence are so far and few between, that the positives of extended breastfeeding outweigh this (one!) negative. I empathized with hubby. I reminded him that although we live in a modern society, with modern needs/wants (such as mama being away from her baby to work), Nolan's genes are the same as the ones from a child 40,000 years ago - which means he has an intense need to be with Mama. In 2012, we think that it is perfectly acceptable, and even necessary, that a child of 1 year be completely independent of Mama. However, in that ancient era of hunter-gatherers, a child would not wean until 2.5 or later and was carried by Mama in a babywrap approx 8,000+ miles over the first few years of its life. These Paleolithic families slept in small tents all together. A child did not leave his Mother's side until he was ready to join in the adult duties of the tribe, which may not be until age 8 or older. (Also see: Paleo Diet or Paleo Lifestyle.) We must remember that our child is hardwired for certain innate needs.  When we follow and meet our child's needs, they become stronger, healthier, more independent little people, and ultimately by meeting their needs, our adult needs will also get met. (Also see: Attached Parenting).

Luck O' The Irish Green Smoothie - Recipe

Your Body will feel Lucky this St. Patty's Day!  Whip up this minty Green Smoothie everyone in the family will enjoy.

Luck O' The Irish Green Smoothie:
1 cup almond milk
1 cup coconut milk
Huge handful of greens (any you like or a combo)
1-2 Bananas
3-4 pitted Medjool Dates
5-8 large mint leaves, fresh (if your not sure start with fewer and add to flavor as you like)
Scoop of protein powder (optional). I like Garden of Life Raw Protein or Sunfire Super Foods Chocolate Bliss for a chocolate-ly taste.
Ice (as much as you like)

Blend until smooth and Enjoy!

Colorful Party Puffs - Recipe

Colorful Party Puffs: (raw, vegetarian, gluten-free) - borrowed and revised from Victoria Rechcygl www.innatemama.com

2.5 Cups of Raw Coconut Flakes
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
2 Tbs Raw Honey (substitute in agave/coconut nectar to make it vegan)
2 Tbs Maple Syrup (the real deal!)
1 tsp Vanilla

Green Party Puffs

Combine all ingredients into large bowl and combine by hand well. Place bowl in refrigerator for approx. 15+ minutes or until coconut oil has hardened up. You should be able to easily roll into little balls. If the mixture becomes to "runny", it is because the coconut oil has started to melt. Throw in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to hard up again.

Here comes the fun part! Nolan was having a St. Patty's Day party in school and I was trying to create a  "green" snack that the kids would like and still be healthy! Because these little balls are white you can add juiced fruits and veggies to add color. Green (with juiced spinach/greens), Pink/Red (with juiced beets, strawberries or raspberries), Blue/Purple (juiced blueberries), Orange/Yellow (juiced oranges or carrots). Obviously the more juice you add (which you do NOT need alot of), the darker the color. You can make Pink Puffs for Valentines Day, Red, White and Blue Puffs for the 4th of July, or "custom-color" for a birthday party.

This still keeps the dessert raw, vegetarian and gluten-free as well as CHEMICAL-FREE. I always avoid food colorings & dyes - they are chemicals that lead to cancer, and ADD/ADHD. They are actually illegal in Great Britain, and probably many other European countries, but, of course, not here yet!

The Paleo Diet or Paleo Lifestyle

"The Paleo Diet" , developed by Dr. Loren Cordain, Professor at Colorado State University, has gained quite a bit a popularity over the past few years. The Paleo Diet Book has been studied, dissected and embraced by fellow professors, students, health professionals, namely Chiropractors, athletes, CrossFit enthusiasts and many more. The Paleo Diet recommends that we follow the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors or "hunter-gatherers". These people had virtually no heart disease, no diabetes, no cancer. They were lean and strong, with clear skin, healthy hair and nails. This is because of what they ate. And what would a person living 40,000 years ago eat? Fruits and veggies, nuts and berries, lean meats, fish and seafood. No dairy, no grains, no refined sugars. The things that God put on the earth and nothing else (not that they had much of a choice!) These are the foods that are innate for our body, the ones that allow our body to function properly and fight off disease.

The book briefly touches on exercise, and has inspired many other health and exercise professional designing programs around "hunter-gatherer" primal movement patterns: jumping, climbing, pulling, pushing, lifting, running, throwing, etc. If this is the way our ancestors moved to build, hunt, fight and live then that is how our modern body should be moving too. And, it is more fun this way then running on a treadmill!

But this is where the "Paleo Diet" ends, with food and exercise only, and where the "Paleo Lifestyle" picks up. Never heard of it? Let me share.

In the Paleolithic era, women would have birthed their babies at home, with a skilled midwife. In fact, up until the early 1900's, all babies were born at home. 90% of pregnancies are completely normal and uncomplicated. For the majority of women (and their babies), it is actually safer, quicker and easier to birth at home then the hospital. The hospital should be for emergency care only - not for a normal everyday occurrence.

The "hunter-gatherer" mother would breastfeed her child for as long as they wanted. The average weaning age (if left up the child) is between 2.5 years and 7 years. That child was carried approx 8000+ miles over the first few years of it's life, nursed on demand, sleep next to mother and was with it's mother constantly until it was old enough to join in the daily jobs of hunting or gathering. This child never got vaccinated, exercised outside all day, and ate healthy, nutrient-dense foods. This child's immune system was never compromised by toxins or chemicals.

The Paleo Diet book, although wonderful and informative, does not touch on any of these subjects. How great would it be to teach modern parents that living like our ancestors it easier, healthier and the innate way to live, the way that we were designed to live. Before your child is ready to eat the Foods of our Earth, that breastmilk (not formula) is superior, for alteast a full year, and then for as long after that that the child/mother agree on. Just like F&V and lean meats are the innate foods for our bodies, breastmilk is the innate, perfect food for a baby, full of probiotics, EFA's and immunoglobulins. When a baby is carried by mother, close to mother often and sleeps with mother, her milk supply stays strong and baby feels safe and secure. Baby is less stressed, therefore less prone to illness and disease. And, if baby is not feeling well, he is not pumped full of antibiotics, Ni-quil and left alone. Mama stops what she is doing to tend to baby so he will recover quickly without drugs.

The Paleo Book touches only briefly on the QUALITY of food, which I feel is a huge void in the book, since Dr. Cordain reiterates over and over again to be eating like our ancestors. 40,000 years ago people did not have to worry about GMO's, pesticides, irradiation, antibiotics, growth hormones and soil run-off. But today we do! He does mention briefly grass-fed and free-range beef and chicken. However, we also need to look for "hormone-free" and "no-antibiotics" on all meats and chicken and "wild caught" on all fish. As for Fruits and Veggies, I always buy organic to avoid GMO's and pesticides. Eating the best, highest quality food is VITAL for optimum health!

I am also a huge fan of raw foods. The Paleo Diet Book does not make a formal statement either way, they just encourgae you to eat F&V. I feel eating as raw as possible is the best way to keep all the nutrients and living enzymnes intact in your food. If you do decide to cook your veggies, lightly steam only, so they still have a little crunch.

I encourage everyone to read "The Paleo Diet" book. It is an easy read and highly informative, with some great recipes. Just remember the quality of your food is just as important as the type of food it is. Eating an apple is great; its full of vitamin and minerals, fiber and antioxidants. But none of that matters if the apple is genetically modified or full of pesticides. Why put those chemicals INTO your body, when the reason your eating the apple is to eat healtier!?

Chocolate Almond Balls - Recipe

Another super-easy, kid-friendly and healthy snack. All these little granola balls seem similar, but there are variations in each recipe. As you get more comfortable making raw snacks and supplying your kitchen with healthy ingredients, you can easily whip up your own. I always like to add coconut oil or almond butter as your "glue" to hold everything together when you refrigerate it.

Chocolate Almond Balls: (raw, vegetarian, gluten-free)
1 cup Almonds
1 cups Pecans
2 Tbs Raw Cacao Powder
2 Tbs Raw Honey (substitute agave or coconut nectar to make it vegan)
Pinch of Sea Salt
Pinch of Cinnamon
Large spoonful of Almond Butter

Place almonds and pecans (you can use any nuts you like) in food processor or blender and pulse until medium coarse. Add in Cacao Powder, Sea Salt and Cinnamon and pulse. Add in Honey and pulse. Add in Almond Butter and pulse. As it gets thicker you make have to remove and hand mix. Roll into little balls and place on parchment paper. Refrigerate atleast 1 hour before serving.

What is your kid REALLY drinking?

I have dedicated many posts on what's healthy and what's NOT healthy to eat. I have given numerous examples of what our family does and WHY.

I recently came across an article in a parenting magazine on beverages. It started out well, taking about the empty calories that are in fruit punch, soda and Gatorade. They then mention the various names of sugar that you might find on the label. BUT THEN....they go on to say that "milk does a body good", and to try these beverages with little or no calories: Crystal Light, Diet Pepsi, unsweetened tea and water! They finish the article with stating that "water is the best beverage you can consume", and lists 8 reasons why. Thank you. The article was written by a Dietitian in a very one-sided view on food: looking at ONLY calories, or ONLY sugar, or ONLY carbs (this is how they are trained) - but NOT looking at the big picture - the INGREDIENTS! Crystal Light or a Diet Soda might only have 5 calories, but it DOES have aspartame and artificial colors, both known to cause ADD/ADHD and cancer. And milk...well, as humans, we not only do not need it, we should NOT have it. Almond, rice and hemp milk can give you the same flavor without the inflammation. As Holistic Lifestyle Coach and Chiropractor, this is what me and my husband educate our patients on:  If you eat what is innate for your body, what God put on the Earth, then you do not need to worry about calories, fat and carbs. Your body will know what to do with that food perfectly - sending the good Essential Fatty Acids to your brain, Calcium to your Bones, Magnesium and Proteins to your Muscles.

In our family, water IS the best thing to drink, with coconut water as a very close second. And real, fresh, raw fruits and veggies as a homemade smoothie or juice is next. Water and coconut water can be "dressed up" with a few lemon/orange wedges or frozen strawberries and blueberries added in. I will also pour a smoothie/juice into an ice cube trey, and then pop the fruity ice cubes into a half filled bottle of water for Nolan. Smoothie and juice recipes are endless, and a glass will usually fill you up, so your not looking for another, like after drinking a soda. (Sometimes I feel bad when someone comes over and all I have to offer them to drink is water! I'll usually offer to make them a juice or hot tea.)

Many parents think that a bottle of fruit juice is fine to give their kids because after it, it IS fruit! But what is the quality of that fruit? How many glasses of apple juice is your kid drinking every day? How much juice is actually in an apple? And, more importantly, how much sugar is in that juice? I have "conducted" my own experiment to prove exactly that - "What is your kid REALLY drinking?"

I have recently been able to gather 3 different types of kid's juice boxes. Mind you, I did NOT pay for these - they were samples or give-aways that I happened to come across for my experiment. I refuse to "vote" (by paying for) commercial fruit juice!

When I juiced an organic medium Apple (approx. 3" dia), I got 1/2 cup of juice, or 4 oz. A medium Apple contains APPROX. 4 grams of fiber, 19 grams of sugar and 25 grams of carbs. (Remember these are GOOD carbs that give you energy, unlike breads! And REAL sugar in the perfect amount that an Apple should have!)

My samples



Mott's for Tots
Ingredients



This juice is from concentrate, contains apple and grape juices, "natural flavors" (whatever that really is!?), and Vitamin C added as a preservative (that is fairly standard). It was pasteurized, which means it was brought to such a high temp as to kill bacteria, as well as all the vital enzymes and nutrients. Amazingly, compared to the Organic Juice below, no additional preservatives were added.

 

Mott's for Tots
Nutrition Guide

The box says it is 6.75 fluid oz, but when I measured it, it was really 8oz!! That means that all the nutritional info is off. The sugar and carbs are probably closer to 16 grams.



Apple & Eve Organics
Nutritional Guide and Ingredients

This juice is a little over 4oz. Although it uses USDA Organic Apples, it is still concentrated. It clearly says on the box "not a sufficient source of fiber", where the real Apple contains about 4 grams of fiber. Fiber helps to flush sugar and toxins from the body. Oddly, Calcium Lactate and Calcium Gluconate are added, both of which treat calcium deficiencies and preserve foods. Even more strangely, Malic Acid is added, which is used in foods to create a "sour" taste that apples and grapes naturally have. Why would they add a flavor that naturally occurs with apple juice anyways? Oh, I know - because when the juice was pasteurized and diluted down it lost all its flavor along with all its nutrients!






Mott's Original Apple Juice
Nutritional Guide

  The bottle states that it is 8oz, but when I measured it, it was slightly over that. It also is concentrated, and states "not a sufficient source of fiber", so see my thoughts on that above.

Mott's Original Ingredients

Vitamin C was added, so they could claim "an excellent source of Vit C", and also for the preservative. I was actually surprised that nothing else was added.

Conclusion: The real apple might have more sugar in it ounce for ounce, however, it is organic (no GMO's), contain fiber, is filling and supplies the body with hundreds of thousands of phyto-nutrients, minerals and more then we can even count. I would go with the real apple (whole) or juiced apple with water.