The idea that childbirth is excruciatingly painful is cultural norm in America. It is the topic of jokes. I was told in my first pregnancy by one of the OB’s providing my care that I would be “begging for drugs in the parking lot [of the hospital]“-which of course only made me more determined NOT to ask for drugs. The idea that birth is meant to be painful even led to some religious groups opposing the use of pain medications in the 1800’s. I’ve even heard it mentioned during sermons as being Biblical.
So where does the Bible say that childbirth is meant to be excruciating…or does it REALLY say that? Continue Reading…
Posted 3 weeks, 3 days ago at 12:02 am. Add a comment
Yoplait sparked controversy with a "mail in the lid" campaign. Yoplait had promised 10 cents a lid, but consumers would pay nearly four times that on the stamp to send one in. That’s money that could have just been given directly to breast cancer research. Second, Yoplait dairy products were made using artificial bovine growth hormones (called rBGH), which are thought to increase the risk of breast and colon cancers.
If you are on Facebook perhaps you remember the bra color statuses? And the purse locations?
Its back again. And I’m annoyed. Really. Not with the person who sent me the e-mail asking me to post “I’m going to Columbia for six months” in the name of breast cancer awareness…but with the whole pink-washing of our culture that has been going on since the pink ribbon debued in the early 1990’s and led to the New York Times dubbing breast cancer “this year’s hot charity” in 1996.
I will not participate.
Why? Well first of all, unlike the bra color and purse location ideas…this one requires me to post a lie in my status.
But really, beyond that, is “awareness” really necessary? Continue Reading…
Posted 4 weeks ago at 2:43 pm. Add a comment
So how are you doing on your fitness resolution? I hope you got some exercise in today!
My review today is of Denise Austin’s Fit & Firm Pregnancy. Denise has written 10 books on fitness and was in the longest running exercise program on TV. I first discovered her program on Lifetime in 2000 when I was pregnant with my second daughter, Katie. I used her program to help in loosing 60 lbs after Katie’s birth. My kids love her Fit Kids DVD. So I had high expectations for this DVD.
Continue Reading…
Posted 1 month ago at 12:03 am. Add a comment
Today’s review is of Leisa Hart’s fitmama prenatal workout. Leisa is a Buns of Steel instructor, so I expected this workout to be very different from yesterday’s prenatal yoga, and I was not disappointed in that.
The package description lets you know that this workout includes 20 minutes of Salsa Dance, 20 minutes of Yoga Fat Burn, 6 minutes of Labor & Delivery Prep, and 8 minutes of Prenatal Stretch and Relax. Bonus features that I discovered once I put the DVD in my player included an “Easing Labor” segment that displayed a lunge, forward lean, and squat that could be helpful in labor and a “Bonus Stretch” segment that focused on lower body stretches. I found the menu to be well laid out, including an option to choose exercise tracks rather than having to use the fast-forward feature as would be needed with the prenatal yoga DVD from yesterday. I have a 2003 version of the DVD, but it was re-released in 2008.
This DVD also includes an introductory segment explaining what will be required in the work out, and safety precautions. Leisa reviews ACOG guidelines on exercise and stresses that it is important to be hydrated before, during, and after exercise.
The exercise starts off with the Salsa Dance segment, which is Continue Reading…
Posted 1 month ago at 4:05 pm. Add a comment
Perhaps one of the most common New Year’s resolution themes is related to being more fit…and I hope all my pregnant readers are striving to stay fit. Exercise during pregnancy may reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes, may reduce the incidence of pre-eclampsia, and may even help in pushing efforts during labor. If that isn’t enough, Fit Pregnancy has an article listing 33 benefits to exercise during pregnancy. So if you have chosen to put physical activity on your New Year’s resolu
tion list…this week I’m hoping to offer you some guidance on home exercise programs by reviewing some prental fitness DVD’s.
Today is a gentle start with Prenatal Yoga with Shiva Rea . The description for this DVD includes an approximate run time of 70 minutes and says
Focussed on helping you feel comfortable, relaxed and fit during pregnancy, this workout will increase your energy and stamina, and build strength, flexibility and balance….The gentle stretches help reduce fatique, tension and tightness, while promoting relaxation and improved circulation.”
So, set to work on my own resolution to exercise more, I popped this DVD in, and let it go. Continue Reading…
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago at 1:04 am. Add a comment
Keeping in mind that I drink a glass of wine MAYBE once every month (the Cranberry Wine from Sorrenti is a seasonal favorite in our house), and I’ve got some “sparkling cider” chilling in the garage to ring in the New Year with…so its not like I’m some kind of a lush…
It’s New Year’s Eve Day and so the internet is awash in what else…an article that intends to instill fear in breastfeeding mothers who just wanted to enjoy a toast to the New Year…
“Mother Kills Son While Breastfeeding Him Drunk” reads the headline…which is of course eye catching. But the story its self is full of holes. Continue Reading…
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago at 6:20 pm. 7 comments
I recently discovered a new book about childbirth and pregnancy (which I’ll more fully review later…when I can actually fit it into my Financial Peace budget) called The Christian Mama’s Guide to Having a Baby. The author of this book has an adorable blog…and this past May she blogged about Old Wives’ Tales on Labor Induction as she anticipated the birth of her 3rd child. Now if you have followed my blog or Facebook page for long, you probably know that I’m not actually a big fan of even “natural” labor induction that is not done for medical reasons because of how induction raises the risk of complications like cesarean…but in the interest of answering questions for those of you who have decided that induction is the best option for you, I’ll review the methods Erin blogged about.
Continue Reading…
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago at 3:03 am. Add a comment
One of my clients recently sent me her written birth story, and she gave me permission to post it. I think she has a great story of thoughfully considering interventions to use along her path to a low intervention birth. I hope you enjoy!
I Got Stuck in the Jacuzzi, and Couldn’t Get Out, So I Had a Natural Birth!
Continue Reading…
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago at 10:45 pm. Add a comment
Nationwide, Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) attend approximately 10% of all births. In Pennsylvaina the percentage is slightly better, at about 11-12%.* How does the Lehigh Valley stack up against this? Continue Reading…
Posted 10 months ago at 2:21 pm. 1 comment
Rossi and Jeana were not currently in the US, they were in China, but would be moving to the US soon. And the majority of the communication was via Rossi, rather than Jeana. But he provided an address for their new home, and asked for suggestions on care providers. Doula Dianne, always wanting to be helpful to an expectant couple (that is, after all, why she became a doula), suggested a hospital near to the couple’s new home, and a care provider.
After several e-mails back and forth, the couple decided to hire Doula Dianne, and settled on a price. Rossi told Doula Dianne that he would have his business manager send her a check, and soon she received a check, drawn on a foreign bank. This was not unexpected, since Rossi and Jeana were not in the country. What was unexpected was that the check was written for a figure that was significantly greater than the agreed upon fee. Rossi reassured Doula Dianne that his business manager had just made a mistake in writing the check, and since Jeana’s due date was coming soon, he asked that Doula Dianne just cash the check, and send him a refund.
Doula Dianne was a bit skeptical, but she took what she thought were prudent actions. She deposited the check in her bank account, and waited for it to clear before writing the refund check. After 3 days a teller at her bank assured her that the check had cleared, so she wrote the refund check and mailed it to an address in America, where the recipient promptly cashed it.
What the teller apparently did not know was the foreign checks often take up to 2 weeks to clear, and a bank will often “clear” the check as a courtesy to their customer after only 3 days. So while the money was appearing in Doula Dianne’s bank account, the check had not cleared yet. Much to her horror, Doula Dianne learned after her refund check had cleared that the check had actually not cleared, and the money was deducted from her account balance.
Doula Dianne has contacted her local law enforcement offices about this scam. In addition to the check that she already deposited, she was also sent a fake Western Union money order, so she has also contacted the post office about mail fraud. Unfortunately I know from experience with my husband’s business being scammed with a stolen credit card that the “business” usually has to take the loss, and law enforcement will not make significant effort to pursue what they see as a “small” crime of only a few hundred dollars. Unfortunately for Doula Dianne, that amount of money is a significant amount of her income since her family income has taken some hits in the economic downturn we’ve been through. To be sure, most doulas find doing their taxes a bit on the depressing side as they see their expenses eating away at their income, and realize that their work is truly a labor of love that does not leave them much profit.
Unfortunately it does seem like the individual (or group) who orchestrated this scam against Doula Dianne has also been contacting other doulas with the same scenarios. It has been discussed on the DONA Facebook page and the “All Doulas” discussion boards.
Doula Dianne would like to talk to other doulas who have been victims of this same scam. You can get her contact info by e-mailing me at jenn@knittedinthewomb.com . While I hope on the one hand that not many of you have need to contact me, on the other hand I hope that enough of you have been scammed by this same individual (or group) that a law enforcement agency might take seriously the idea of pursuing this crime.
Posted 10 months, 1 week ago at 11:19 pm. Add a comment
The idea that childbirth is excruciatingly painful is cultural norm in America. It is the topic of jokes. I was told in my first pregnancy by one of the OB’s providing my care that I would be “begging for drugs in the parking lot [of the hospital]“-which of course only made me more determined NOT to ask for drugs. The idea that birth is meant to be painful even led to some religious groups opposing the use of pain medications in the 1800’s. I’ve even heard it mentioned during sermons as being Biblical.
