Reminder: formula is NOT ideal baby food.

In case you were thinking it was...here's yet another reason to avoid the formula aisle at the grocery store.

Scary stuff.

Quote

While I can't vouch for it, a quick google search seems to point to the fact that this is, indeed the correct quote. I found it on SageFemme's blog...

"The first intervention in birth that a healthy woman takes is when she walks out the front door of her home in labor. From that first intervention all others will follow."

-Michael Rosenthal, OB/GYN


Now D and I just had a little chat about this, as he pointed out that really the first intervention occurs waaaay back at the beginning of pregnancy, when a woman makes that first call...to "find out" if she's pregnant.

I'll give the good doc credit. His quote does read "birth" not "pregnancy." However, I agree that an intervention occurs with the initial medicalization of pregnancy, leading to all other interventions...the tests, the questioning, the shifting of control...and ultimately, walking out that door.

There are my thoughts for the night.

For my Midwestern readers

...or those willing to travel to Chicago:


...you know you want to attend the Babywearing Conference in Chicago this summer!

Tips on home business, cloth diapering, and of course, babywearing in all its forms!

Check it out. Looks like $99 bucks for the conference, dorm rooms available for some additional fee, some childcare during sessions...if we were still in Iowa, I'd so be there.

Scenes from the sub-continent

(That's my sister, in India)

Seven Random Things

The Rules
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. Michelle tagged me.
2. My seven random things about myself.

• My education: I have a BA in Russian and East European Area Studies from Middlebury College; spent two additional years obtaining a Post-Baccalaureate, Pre-Medicine certificate (at UVM), applied to medical school, had one interview (at UW) but was not ultimately accepted; and I have a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Iowa. I was awarded with multiple scholarships while in the MPH program. Shoot, I even won my department's award and was named to the Public Health Honor Society when I graduated with my MPH (pics below...see, I even used to wear something besides sweatpants!). I even did this with two kids. Now I'm a very educated, student-loan paying, stay-at-home mama.
  

• 
• The low part of my education: I didn't even earn a 3.0 during my undergraduate years! The whole "studying" and "going to classes" part of college just didn't quite sink in...

• I scored a perfect 800 on the analytic section of the GRE when I took it in 1999.

• I was a certified EMT-II in Vermont, and volunteered with Essex Rescue for the two years I lived in that area. One of our calls was to the high school for an "unresponsive male." When we entered the foyer, we saw two adults performing CPR on a young (15-year old) boy. We took over - I performed the chest compressions while my fellow EMTs gave oxygen and used the defribrillator. The boy regained his pulse, we transported him to the ER, where he awoke and asked bewilderedly, "what happened?"

• I was on a cross-country running team in 4th grade, and from 7th - 12th grades. I also did track (800, mile, 2-mile) in both years of Jr. High and all four years of high school. I was on the cross-country ski team for two years and played JV volleyball one year. I wasn't great at any of it. My best mile (OK, 1600M) was 6:05. I really wanted to break that 6-minute mark.

• I love to travel. Internationally, I've been to the Soviet Union, Russia, Finland, The Netherlands, England, Scotland, France, Spain, Italy, Mexico, and many provinces in Canada (Yukon, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Manitoba). I have also been to many of the States...and have lived for at least a year in Alaska, Washington, Vermont, Iowa, and Arizona. Someday I hope to visit many more places.

• My favorite book is The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov. I knew D was my match when we first met and the man actually owned a copy of this book!

3. My picks to be tagged...and sorry ladies if you've already done this/have no desire to do this. There are only so many folks I know with blogs, and who weren't just tagged by Michelle :)
No hard feelings if you completely ignore me on this one!

1. Anna (hint, hint)
   
2. Judit
3. Rixa
4. Kelley
5. January
6. Starlene
7. Aunt Nancy
   

4. I'll be leaving comments soon!

Bathtime fun...

Us.

Since it's rare to see a picture of D and me together, thought I'd share one I just got from my mom (click on the pictures to see in better resolution - they didn't copy well in small form):

And another baby one, just because:

My first birth

No, not my own! I just spent the evening assisting a friend - her third baby, first attempt at a natural birth (hospital). I have only ever attended my own births, and that of my sister when I was eleven. So here's the story:

Girls had swimming lessons tonight, and I was just about a block from our house when my cell rang. I've been keeping it tucked in my bra for the last week, waiting for A to call in labor. It was 6:33, and her husband was on the phone, telling me they were just leaving their house for the hospital. Perfect timing! Dan was right behind me, so we went in and I nursed the baby. Of course, L has never had a bottle, so we weren't really sure how me being gone for a while would go...but nursing him to sleep at least gave D a little extra time.

Anyway, I arrived at the hospital just after 7 p.m., and just minutes ahead of A and her husband. I was feeling badly for her, sitting in a wheelchair answering stupid intake questions about their phone numbers and address and emergency contacts while laboring...but she was dealing fine. The staff got her into triage, hooked up to the belly bands and started asking MORE stupid questions. This went on for a good 20 minutes plus...the nurse didn't really explain much or do anything but intake. She did check dilation (4-5 cm). She also told A to leave the belly band on for the transfer to L&D - how uncomfortable!

We finally moved to L&D, where a lovely nurse basically dropped us off to do our own thing. A went immediately for the shower - still in those stupid elastic bands that the first triage nurse had her keep on. We took them off. Eventually we made our way to the "spa room" (yes, the sign really says "spa") so A could use the tub. She wasn't very comfortable there, so I suggested we go walk the halls instead, as upright positioning was feeling best. The nurse wanted to check before we walked too far, so we popped into a nearby room and - she was at 9cm!

A just draped over the couch, remaining upright for some time...finally her water broke with the stereotypical explosion...it had light mec staining. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of "concern" expressed by the nurses. They occasionally took heart tones with the doppler, and otherwise left A to labor. Cutting to the end...she ended up on the floor, where we all surrounded her. The OB showed up and happily just did her thing on the floor too...the nurses had dimmed all the lights, they remained pleasantly dark. Baby was pretty purple and didn't make a sound...for so long *I* was actually wondering if they were going to do anything! Baby did get a little O2 in the warmer, but the overall feeling in the room was so pleasant and peaceful, I was shocked.

Aside from the annoying intake, there was very little that rubbed me the wrong way about this entire labor and birth. She had no IV, only intermittent monitoring, drank water as desired, nobody offered pain relief, the nurse was encouraging and stayed with us most of the time, she used the shower and the tub, and birthed side-lying on the floor! I have to admit, it was nothing like I expected...in a great way, of course. Now the pre- part, and the post- part (the annoying intake questions and lack of communication, the belly straps, pit shot, the cord clamping, the erythromycin and Vit K, etc., the monitoring) I would never want. But this gives me much more confidence in the ability of women to birth naturally even when choosing a hospital birth.

From the time A arrived at the hospital to the baby's birth was less than two hours. This mama was so strong and so beautiful laboring...and so quiet! I was so honored to be invited to the birth and to be able to assist this mama in finally "getting" her natural birth. Congrats to A and Baby M...


...and need I say...I'm hooked. I think I know where my path will lead me. Not tomorrow, not the next day...but I dare say it's obvious I need to become a midwife.


ETA: I just posted in the comments too, but I forgot to give the details :)
It's a girl, after 2 boys...9 lb 2 oz, 21 inches, born one day past 40 weeks.

Added one more...and some comments.

...one more picture to my carrier-addiction thread, that is. Got the Nana's Jetpak in the mail yesterday. I LOVE the fabrics, but this one's not staying around. I find other carriers more comfortable.

I was asked which is my favorite...and I think overall I'd have to answer my Yamo or Olives and Applesauce carriers. However, it's really hard to pick just one, as I like different styles for different uses. I loved my MayaWrap RS, my silk Rixa-made MT and my Moby Wrap when L was tiny. I love my BabyHawk, O&A, and Yamo now. I think with some practice, I'll also love the podegi. The OMT was simply heavenly...except the waist straps were too big for me (the padding extended too far, so it was hard to tie).

I know which I didn't like...I didn't care for the EllaRoo mei tai or the Ergo SSC or the hotsling. I thought the KangaRose was too flimsy, and the BBO too stiff. The Patapum was just not very comfortable. I also don't care for the Moshi, but it's Dan's favorite, and in fact "just his" now.

There's the quick answer. I would still like to review more of them another time. We'll see :)

Vote here!

There's a contest sponsored by intuit, the company that does TurboTax and Quick Books...they're offering $50,000 to start a new business. One of the mamas from thebabywearer wants to open a "Cafe & Play," a kid-friendly, healthy food restaurant. Go here to vote for her to win...as of right now, she's in a close second place! You do have to register at the site...fyi. Thanks for helping, and spread the word!

In the mood to share.

Just because I'm in the mood to share tonight, here is a little "conversation" I found on another blog all about circumcision. Maybe it will help spread the word and prevent another little boy from being needlessly cut...I'm always amazed with the general uproar about female genital mutilation, when the majority of Americans routinely practice male genital mutilation...and except in my "alternative" circles (aka crunchy mama groups), there's just not much being said.

So, I'm off my home-birth soap box for a moment and jumping on the No-Circ bandwagon!
Now you know...yep, we're closet intactivists here.


So what is circumcision, anyway? Don't they just take a little bit off the top?

It's surgical removal of the foreskin, frenulum and about one-third to one-half of the skin of the penis.

Wait, one-half of the skin of the penis? How can that be?

There's no precise point where the foreskin ends and the skin of the penis begins. During a circumcision, the skin of the penis is peeled back like a banana to expose the mucosal tissue of the head and shaft - tissue like the inside of your mouth. The two types of tissue can be clearly seen on the circumcised penis and the tissue covering the head and upper shaft is very different from the skin below the circumcision scar.

But it just slides back and then they clip it off or something?

No, actually it doesn't even begin to slide back until around age 2 or 3 at the earliest, and frequently much later. In a newborn, the opening of the foreskin is big enough to let urine through and the foreskin itself is tightly fused to the head and shaft of the penis - like a fingernail is fused to the nail bed. It doesn't slide back at all.

Then how do they get it off of there to cut it?

They use a blunt probe to separate them. It feels about like having a fingernail ripped off... except it's on the most sensitive part of the body. The head of the penis looks like the finger minus the fingernail too, very raw and bloody.

Eww.

Yeah.

So then they just cut it off?

They cut a slit in the side of it and then they usually crush it with a clamp for a few minutes. Then they cut it off. Alternately, they put a plastic bell over the head, and tie a ligature around the foreskin, then cut the foreskin off.

I'm having a tough time visualizing this.

That's understandable. Here's a description of the procedure, with photos.

That all sounds really painful! But they use anesthetic of course.

Um, most often no they don't.

Oh come on! That's barbaric!

It is, isn't it. Sometimes they use a topical cream and even less often they use a shot of stuff like Novocaine. Well under half of all circumcisions are performed with any pain relief at all, and most of those are not especially effective. Here's a video of a circumcison performed with a topical anesthetic, for instance.

It's just skin though. It can't be that important.

It's not "just skin". It's skin on the outside with a thin, sensitive muscle sheath underneath and the same exquisitely sensitive mucosa as the inner edges of your lips on the inside. Right around the edge of the foreskin is a ridged band of tissue which attaches at the frenulum to the underside of the glans. (Together, that band and the frenulum are considered the primary erogenous zone in males - the head of the penis is secondary and much less sensitive.) Not to mention tens of thousands of nerve endings and specialized immune cells.

Hey, most circumcised guys say if they were any more sensitive they'd explode! How is more sensitivity a plus, here?

Probably because the term 'more sensitive' isn't defined. Men needlessly circumcised as adults have reported the sensitivity and sensation before and after as the difference between color vision and only seeing in black and white. Using this analogy, a man circumcised at birth might say "How could I possibly see any better? I can see everything so clearly as it is, and it's beautiful! If there was any more light, I'd go blind!" because without experiencing color, he cannot conceive of how it could be different, richer or better - only brighter.

Well, at least it's beneficial medically. It's much healthier to circumcise, right?

No. There is no medical reason for routine infant circumcision, and no national or international medical association recommends it. It doesn't stop urinary tract infections, it doesn't stop HIV infection, it doesn't stop cancer of the penis or of the cervix. It doesn't stop (or even significantly reduce) any disease.

Doesn't everyone need it done eventually?

Nope. In countries where nonreligious routine infant circumcision is rare (like the UK or Denmark or pretty much everywhere but the United States) at most one in 200 men is circumcised later in life, and the actual number who need it because they cannot be treated in any way but with amputative surgery is 1 in 18,000. Even here in the US, where many doctors recommend circumcision needlessly because they do not know how to treat the foreskin, the rate is less than 8 in one hundred. Circumcising all boys at birth to prevent later need for circumcision is somewhat like removing the breast tissue of all girls to prevent later breast cancer... except the risk of getting breast cancer over a woman's lifetime is one in eight, whereas the need for circumcision for any reason is at less than one-half of one percent.

I read that it prevents AIDS - doesn't it?

There have been studies in Africa that appear to show that circumcised men contract HIV from HIV positive women at a slower rate than men who have a foreskin. So saying it prevents AIDS is inaccurate; it just slows the uptake, so to speak. If an intact man decides the potentially lessened risk is worth the price of his fully functional and highly ennervated foreskin, he can certainly opt to be circumcised as an adult. Most guys would probably opt for condom use over radical amputative surgery.

But, still, it could prevent, uh, something?

Whether there is any true preventative value in amputating the foreskin may never be known, as all of the studies that have ever been done are very ambiguous. What is known is the fact that we don't remove healthy, normal, functional body parts on baby girls, or any other part of baby boys on the off chance it will prevent some nebulous health problem. Presumably if we amputated the toes of newborns we would have far fewer cases of athlete's foot each year, and toe cancer as well. But of course we don't do that - we treat the body if it gets sick, we don't amputate normal bits to prevent possible problems. The foreskin is much the same, and, as the American Academy of Pediatrics has found, the complications and risks of the circumcision procedure outweigh any potential benefits.

It doesn't do any real harm though, beyond the initial healing period.

Assuming you mean other than the harm of removing the foreskin itself, which causes the glans of the penis to become dry and desensitized every time, and the meatus (the opening of the urethra) to scar up and frequently narrow, requiring surgery to fix it about ten percent of the time, yes, it causes harm. The latest statistics show that circumcising is actually the cause of more medical expense over a child's lifetime versus not circumcising. It could easily be said that circumcision essentially turns the penis permanently inside out, and it has about the same effect as it would if we cut off eyelids, or nostrils, or lips. Complications are rampant. Even if circumcisions were free, it would still cost more to circumcise than to leave the penis alone.

OK, so there are no medical reasons, but it's cleaner, isn't it?

It's not cleaner or dirtier to be circumcised or not circumcised. Either way parents should teach their children to wash their genitals the same way they teach them to wash their ears. The foreskin requires no special care.

But I have to keep it clean for him before he's old enough! That sounds complicated!

It's not complicated at all! Here's the three steps to cleaning the intact child too young to attend to his own bathing:

1. Wash the outside of the penis like a finger.
2. Don't try to pull the foreskin back or retract it.
3. The End.

Won't other kids make fun of him?

It's not too likely, seeing as how barely half of the boys born in America today are circumcised (52% in 2003 and decreasing each year) and worldwide around 85% of men and boys are not circumcised. Besides, kids make fun of lots of things. Best to raise a child to be happy with his normal body, rather than cut healthy parts of it off.

I think the foreskin makes the penis look... weird.

That's mainly because a circumcised penis is what you are used to seeing. We don't carve up other healthy, normal parts of our kids' bodies without their consent because they offend our personal aesthetics - the genitals should be the same!

He'll just want it done when he gets older though.

If men actually preferred being circumcised versus being whole and intact, then most of the men in the world would be circumcised as adults. But the thing is, they aren't, because they don't. Cultures where circumcision is common circumcise sexually immature infants and children, or adolescents on the cusp of puberty - all people who cannot give consent. Now, that said, should your son decide he wants to be circumcised he can be, and the operation is much less traumatic and less prone to complications as an adult with a mobile foreskin and an adult-sized penis.

There has to be a reason why people are doing this then?

Well, really there are many "reasons", but the main reason babies and children are genitally cut in any culture and for either sex is because their parents were genitally cut, and thus think of their altered state as normal. It's crazy when you think about it, but there you have it.

Yeah, what about when the father or older brother is circumcised? Shouldn't they look the same?

There are so many inborn differences between fathers and sons and between brothers. Some will have brown eyes, some will have blue, some will have their mother's nose and their grandfather's hands. A child will never be a carbon copy that looks just like his father and it is silly to insist that the son have cosmetic surgery on his normal penis so it will look like Dad or big bro. What if the father is missing a finger or has scars from an accident or any other surgery? We don't mark the son similarly then! If older brothers are circumcised it's easy to tell the boys that when the older brother was born his penis looked like the younger boy's penis but back then the parents thought it was a good idea to cut off his foreskin (and that they thought that was a good idea when Daddy was born, too, if that's relevant) but now we don't do that anymore. It really is that simple!

It's traditional in my family to circumcise the boys.

In America (unless you're Jewish or Muslim) your "family tradition" is likely about two or three generations old at most and involves your father, possibly his father, and you. The real tradition is to have a whole, normal penis, not one with an amputated foreskin. Newborn circumcision was unknown in the U.S. outside of Jewish families until the beginning of the 20th century, and the circumcision rate peaked in the 1970s at about 90%. It's been dropping ever since, and is now right around 50%. Many Jewish and Muslim families are opting to leave their children intact and let them decide whether they want to be circumcised, as well.


So let me see. No medical reason, in fact it can actually cause more harm... hmm, not any cleaner, and and we don't perform cosmetic surgery on any other normal body parts without consulting the owner of the body... Well gosh. There's really no reason to do it at all!

Exactly.


More information can be found here:
Hey! It's A Boy!
Dr. Dean Edell on Circumcision
Circumcision Information Resource Pages
NOCIRC
"Circumcised my son and I regret it" thread at Mothering Magazine forums
Catholics Against Circumcision
Jewish Circumcision Resource Center

(copied from the blog linked above, originally posted by Phoebe Gleeson)

My collection-addiction

OK...since I waste most of my time these days on thebabywearer, it's time to show the collection of baby carriers I've gone through. Not all of these are still in my possession - I tend to buy/sell/trade regularly in order to try more varieties. I didn't get pictures of all of them, but this will give you an idea. Reviews to come another time...links included where applicable.

Oh, and for the carriers with multiple pictures, I'm trying to show the versatility of these styles. You'll notice I am carrying both E and Baby L (at different times) in the same carrier. Also, most of these work for front, back, and even hip carries.

You'll notice many of these are lovely self-portraits in the bathroom mirror (excuse the toothpaste gunk). When I resell the ones I don't keep, I take these so as to illustrate just what I'm selling. I'm really not that neurotic as to document every single carrier I try, I promise... Occasionally I take a picture to go along with a discussion on the forums...and every once in a while, I pass the camera to somebody else and I'm actually captured in action *shock*.

(missing pictures...Ergo, Bebina wrap, Kangaroo Korner adjustable fleece pouch, and hotsling)

**and for the record, I didn't buy ANY of these at retail price :) I buy them used, sell them, or trade them for other carriers or for other items (like girls' clothes and baby shoes). Why? Because I'm always looking out for the single BEST carrier I can find!**

Nana's Jetpak




APLX



Freehand Podegi



KangaRose SSC



BabyHawk mei tai (MT)



BabyHawk MT (different one)



...and again here with "extreme makeover" (decorative cover)



BabyHawk onbu



Ball Baby Overall MT



Yamo SSC


EllaRoo MT



Olives & Applesauce buckle-tai (tester model)



Olives & Applesauce buckle-tai (production model)



Toddler Patapum



Moshi Baby SSC



MayaWrap unpadded ring sling

DIY ring sling (made by my friend Rixa)

DIY Thai silk MT (also made by Rixa)



OMT wrap MT



Moby wrap



And a few without action shots...

EllaRoo Rebozo



Beco SSC




...and the one I made for the girls

Bath, play-doh and back to routine

While he still fits, I really prefer bathing L in the kitchen sink...


And here's E making another round of no-cook play-doh, showing little bro just how it's done:


In other news...C started back to school on Monday; E started yesterday. Of course, if mama had been paying any attention to school calendars, E was supposed to start last Thursday (oops). It's been nice getting back to the old routine. The girls were pretty much fed up with vacation!

I've signed the girls both up for swim lessons (outside! twice a week! super cheap!) at the YMCA...which D and I just rejoined in order to get going on the whole "healthy new year" thing. There's a child watch at the Y, so I can drop the kids and get some exercise...of course, when Baby L is screaming the whole time and the staff has to come get me, I don't get so much done (as in yesterday).

I rearranged the girls' room in preparation to convert our third bedroom into an office/craft/guest room. Who knows what will happen when we're ready to boot the baby out of our room...but I figure we've got plenty of time before crossing that bridge. Or who knows, maybe he'll get our walk-in closet LOL.

OK...time to wash L's woolies. How about some more comments from the peanut gallery this year? I'd love to know who's actually reading my ramblings and incoherent mommy-brain musings every once in a while.

Birth Art

I'll let the drawing speak for itself:


(OK, no I wont...that's a dog...and that's the daddy dog at far left...the baby dog's head emerging, and the UA-UA-UA are vocalizations, as in, "uuuuuaaaaaa.")

Happy New Year

Santa made it to our house! I'm writing this post from my new wireless keyboard and mouse, gazing at my new 19" flat screen monitor (yay!).

The kids got tons of gifts, and had a jolly time opening and handing out everything. Below is the gang on Christmas morning:


C first came into our room at 4:15 a.m. saying, "Daddy, the presents are here!" I still don't know how we managed to do it, but we actually got her into our bed and back asleep until 6:00.

The kids and I went to San Diego with my parents on the 26th. Poor D had to go back to work, so he missed the 7-hour trip...(which, by the way, only really takes 5.5 hours if traveling without three small children and a poodle).

We were back in town on the 30th. My parents went exploring down South for a few days; we spent New Year's Eve at the neighbors' house where we all stayed up until 12:30. Of course, the kids were up bright and early the next day still...so we went to the Science Center to start the year off with a bang!

The girls go back to school this coming week (C on Monday, E on Tues). It will be nice to get back on "schedule," as the girls have been a little off with all the craziness of holidays. Love to all, more soon.