New Blog

Since I have not been active as a doula for a while, this blog has started to be more and more family-y and less doula-y. I started a new blog for personal reflections!

Mom Of Three Monkeys

Please check it out!

Happy Earth Day!

Pittsburgh Cloth Diapers is having a great sale -- 15% off today!

One of the things I really appreciate about all this 'green' industry is that in the long run, it is economical for consumers as well as being good for the environment. We're for sure breaking even on the cloth diaper investment we made!

How about you? What are some things you do that give both Mother Earth AND your wallet a break?

Happy Easter!!!

I hope you are all welcoming spring in some way!

Today we went to church...
... and played in the church's garden.
Earlier this week we went to see the daffodils at Highland Park...


And in our front yard too!

Lactation Cookies

I made these for a friend who recently had her baby, and, well -- I sampled them. I sampled more than a few, and I can attest to the lactogenic properties! My supply is pretty well-established after 8 months of course -- but I definitely noticed the difference.

I got the recipe here, and the original recipe comes from Noel Trujillo. I used dark chocolate and I think they'd be great with dried blueberries or cherries added in too.

1 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
4 T water
2 T flaxseed meal (no substitutions)
2 Lg eggs
1 t vanilla
2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 C Thick cut oats
1 C Chocolate chips
2 T Brewers Yeast (no substitutions)
Preparation
Preheat oven at 375.

Mix 2 T of flaxseed meal and water, set aside 3-5 minutes.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs.
Stir flaxseed mix into butter mix and add vanilla.
Beat until well blended.
Sift: dry ingredients, except oats and choc chips.
Add butter mix to dry ing.
Stir in the oats and then the choc chips.
Drop on parchment paper on baking sheet.
Bake 8-12 minutes.

So, do you like contests?

Well, do ya? I have a sweet prize lined up for a contest -- perhaps in April for Cesarean Awareness Month, perhaps in May for International Doula Month.

Stay tuned!!!

VBAC Calculator

Something Dr. Kaminski shared was this VBAC Calculator. It factors in several variables to give the odds of a vbac success. I thought it was very interesting and could be a great tool in making the decision for either a vbac or a repeat c-section!

Certified Bra Fitter

I attended Heart and Hands' 10th annual Family Centered Maternity Conference -- a nice day with lots of terrific information. I found Dr. Bob Kaminski's presentation on VBACs to be very positive and informative, but I have to say, Dawn from Mommy Gear was great -- and now thanks to her, all attendees are Certified Medela Bra Fitters! I have a pin and certificate to prove it. A fun day but I'll be frank -- it was hell on Charlie to be away from home all that time. he was NOT a happy guy for the last few hours.