Terrific Birth!
What a wonderful birth. AROM first thing in the morning and the amazing mama took it from there! No further interventions and this wonderful family welcomed their fourth child, Baby Boy N., around 2pm. I had a great time too. The last few births I have attended have had a lot of interventions and as a doula as well as an expectant mom, this was very gratifying to see a birth go so perfectly. And, the dad was wonderful as well. I (half-) joked that he can be my doula next time :)
Planted our garden today, and a busy day tomorrow!
I'm not really a gardener. But we have this horrible yard that isn't ever going to grow grass, so we turned it over and I planted vegetables on the sunny side and wildflowers from a can on the shady side. I know it's a little late in the season but... well, we've had a busy spring. I planted watermelon, cantaloupe, 2 kinds of onions, broccoli, 3 kinds of peppers, Swiss chard, zucchini, carrots, and peas. Oh, and in containers on my front porch I have leaf lettuce, basil, mint, coriander, thyme, and tomatoes (the tomato plant is about 2" big so we will see if anything comes of it).
Bon appetit, deer!
And my June client is going to be induced tomorrow so I will have a busy day. She's a great woman and it'll be a pleasure to work with her and her husband -- they make a great pair.
AND, on Saturday I will be observing (and assisting) in a childbirth class... thus fulfilling all my requirements for DONA certification except the essays! Hopefully I can get it all sent out next week! I feel like I started so long ago... Badger was just 3 months old when I attended my training.
Speaking of whom... we think he said a WORD. We think he is saying baa-baa for BALL. He is also signing "more." I guess it's like when you take your car to the mechanic because it's making a funny noise and then it stops... before we are even scheduled for his first speech therapy session, he makes a few nice steps :) I'm certainly not complaining.
Bon appetit, deer!
And my June client is going to be induced tomorrow so I will have a busy day. She's a great woman and it'll be a pleasure to work with her and her husband -- they make a great pair.
AND, on Saturday I will be observing (and assisting) in a childbirth class... thus fulfilling all my requirements for DONA certification except the essays! Hopefully I can get it all sent out next week! I feel like I started so long ago... Badger was just 3 months old when I attended my training.
Speaking of whom... we think he said a WORD. We think he is saying baa-baa for BALL. He is also signing "more." I guess it's like when you take your car to the mechanic because it's making a funny noise and then it stops... before we are even scheduled for his first speech therapy session, he makes a few nice steps :) I'm certainly not complaining.
After Caesareans, Some See Higher Insurance Cost
After Caesareans, Some See Higher Insurance Cost
File this under annoying, outrageous, sexist, condescending, disempowering and friggin' predictable.
As a self-employed family with no health insurance for us grown-ups, we know what a boon it was when we had "real jobs" and group coverage. Fortunately, our BCBS doesn't YET impose these insane restrictions on women . YET. However, not for nothing, they can't sell me insurance that will cover this pregnancy because, well, I'll USE IT.
So you tell me, where do we begin to fix this mess?
File this under annoying, outrageous, sexist, condescending, disempowering and friggin' predictable.
As a self-employed family with no health insurance for us grown-ups, we know what a boon it was when we had "real jobs" and group coverage. Fortunately, our BCBS doesn't YET impose these insane restrictions on women . YET. However, not for nothing, they can't sell me insurance that will cover this pregnancy because, well, I'll USE IT.
So you tell me, where do we begin to fix this mess?
Another Busy Week!
Happy 39th week to my client T! She'll be welcoming her little one shortly and I'm excited to be there. Her previous doula apparently had some mad Rebozo skills so I'm brushing up on mine... with my home-made Rebozo, which frankly is not great.
I'll be attending the Pittsburgh VBAC support group at the Midwife Center on Wednesday June 11 at 7pm, to discuss VBAC in general and how a doula can be particularly helpful when VBACing.
In family news, Chim is impressing us with her imagination and memory. She has named a toy with the first "real" name she's ever given one. Up until now, all her dolls and toys were named things like Frizza or Ooopalah, or Monkey or Puppy. Until she met a dragon named Greenie Pickles :) She's going on a field trip tomorrow and we hope she does well. It's hit or miss with her these days!
Badger is having his formal evaluation tomorrow with a speech therapist and developmental specialist. We're really looking forward to learning the results. He is getting much better about being read to and about finding non-verbal ways to communicate, and in an unrelated story, can blow bubbles... pretty well, actually!
And The Tiebreaker is still hangin' in there! I forget I'm pregnant from time to time. And I'm delighted about that! At this point with Badger, we were preparing for the worst since it really didn't look great from weeks 4-12!
On a final note... LET'S GO PENS! They're really hanging in there against the awesome Red Wings. But please, no more triple overtimes. This old lady is TIRED.
I'll be attending the Pittsburgh VBAC support group at the Midwife Center on Wednesday June 11 at 7pm, to discuss VBAC in general and how a doula can be particularly helpful when VBACing.
In family news, Chim is impressing us with her imagination and memory. She has named a toy with the first "real" name she's ever given one. Up until now, all her dolls and toys were named things like Frizza or Ooopalah, or Monkey or Puppy. Until she met a dragon named Greenie Pickles :) She's going on a field trip tomorrow and we hope she does well. It's hit or miss with her these days!
Badger is having his formal evaluation tomorrow with a speech therapist and developmental specialist. We're really looking forward to learning the results. He is getting much better about being read to and about finding non-verbal ways to communicate, and in an unrelated story, can blow bubbles... pretty well, actually!
And The Tiebreaker is still hangin' in there! I forget I'm pregnant from time to time. And I'm delighted about that! At this point with Badger, we were preparing for the worst since it really didn't look great from weeks 4-12!
On a final note... LET'S GO PENS! They're really hanging in there against the awesome Red Wings. But please, no more triple overtimes. This old lady is TIRED.
Breastfeeding while Pregnant
Crunchy Domestic Goddess as a recent post onBreastfeeding While Pregnant. I found this really interesting and relevant, not only because my current client just weaned her youngest child during this pregnancy...
... but additionally ...
I'm currently breastfeeding while pregnant :) We're expecting in early-mid January 2009! Had my first midwife appointment this past Monday and everything is as it should be. Looking forward to an absolutely boring pregnancy! I'll be making an "official" announcement at my doula service's picnic next month but I couldn't wait. So if any H&H doulas are reading... please act surprised, lol!
... but additionally ...
I'm currently breastfeeding while pregnant :) We're expecting in early-mid January 2009! Had my first midwife appointment this past Monday and everything is as it should be. Looking forward to an absolutely boring pregnancy! I'll be making an "official" announcement at my doula service's picnic next month but I couldn't wait. So if any H&H doulas are reading... please act surprised, lol!
It's not that I have nothing to say...
The past month or so has really taken it out of me! I haven't been able to string together 2 thoughts, doula-ish or otherwise. I do want to say a belated Happy Mother's Day to all those who mother and mother-the-mother, and who have from time to time, mothered yours truly.
We had a great visit in Nevada with the inlaws. I wish they didn't live so dang far away. My husband and I even got to go on THREE dates -- two movies and one overnight at the casinos. I totally dominated the penny slots. The kids had an amazing time. Really fun! So that was 2 weeks.
After we got back, Badger's 18 month well child checkup came along. Everything's great except for the lack of speech, so I've been on the phone during waking hours arranging visits with Early Intervention. We had his initial intake visit on Friday and it feels good to get the ball rolling. I have a feeling that once we know how to approach whatever is causing the delay, things will fall into place quickly.
Chim is extremely 3 years old. She is at one moment such a sweet young girl who loves us and the next moment an absolute demon sent from hell to destroy me. Regardless of her attitude, she sure does look cute while she's making me insane.
I have a client due in early June, and we're having our final prenatal meeting(s) on Tuesday. She suggested combining the prenatal visit with her care provider and our final meeting, since the price of gas is $3.79 a gallon (YIKES). She's really a lovely woman and I'm looking forward to working with her!
My husband may take a well-deserved fishing trip during my on-call time so hopefully my parents can come for a visit. Which will mean lots of cleaning on my part.
And that is nearly all our news. Hopefully the second half of May will find me posting much more.
We had a great visit in Nevada with the inlaws. I wish they didn't live so dang far away. My husband and I even got to go on THREE dates -- two movies and one overnight at the casinos. I totally dominated the penny slots. The kids had an amazing time. Really fun! So that was 2 weeks.
After we got back, Badger's 18 month well child checkup came along. Everything's great except for the lack of speech, so I've been on the phone during waking hours arranging visits with Early Intervention. We had his initial intake visit on Friday and it feels good to get the ball rolling. I have a feeling that once we know how to approach whatever is causing the delay, things will fall into place quickly.
Chim is extremely 3 years old. She is at one moment such a sweet young girl who loves us and the next moment an absolute demon sent from hell to destroy me. Regardless of her attitude, she sure does look cute while she's making me insane.
I have a client due in early June, and we're having our final prenatal meeting(s) on Tuesday. She suggested combining the prenatal visit with her care provider and our final meeting, since the price of gas is $3.79 a gallon (YIKES). She's really a lovely woman and I'm looking forward to working with her!
My husband may take a well-deserved fishing trip during my on-call time so hopefully my parents can come for a visit. Which will mean lots of cleaning on my part.
And that is nearly all our news. Hopefully the second half of May will find me posting much more.
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