Birth Activist » mommy2be

Motherlove Birth and Baby Oil

mommy2be — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:28:55 +0000

When Motherlove Herbal Company contacted me about a product review, I
jumped at the chance. I have consistently recommended Motherlove’s
herbal supplements to mothers who were looking for high quality herbs
that could be found in many places. This time, though, Motherlove sent
me a product that I was not familiar with – Birth and Baby Oil. Let me
just say how wonderfully pleased I am with this product. My son (now 7
weeks old) has been dealing with cradle cap and the oil took care of
it in one application. Since I am no longer pregnant, I had my husband
give me a foot rub with the oil so that I could test how it would feel
in labor (ha.) The oil is not greasy and absorbs well into the skin.
The smell is derived from real lavender and is very pleasant. I would
caution using it in labor for mothers who are sensitive to smell, as I
suspect the scent would be a bit strong for some. I even used it the
other night on my daughter who was having difficulty sleeping. The
sweet-smelling massage did the trick! Overall, I couldn’t be happier
with this product and have found lots of uses for it, even beyond what
the company recommends.

To find out more about Motherlove Herbal Company and see all of their available products, visit their website here: http://www.motherlove.com/

Disclaimer: A product was provided to me at no-charge for this review
but the opinions are entirely my own.

A Birth Activist Has Surgery

mommy2be — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:40:34 +0000

This week I went in for a non-birth related surgery. However, throughout the process I was glad that I am a birth activist. For one thing, what I’ve learned about reading before making decisions has never been more relevant. I had treatment options, though there were certain things that my doctor suggested. I knew I had choices. I knew I had rights to refuse treatment. In the end, I chose to pursue the treatment my doctor suggested, surgery, but I did so knowing I was informed. On the day of my surgery, the nurse was shocked when I – get this – actually wanted to read the papers she wanted me to sign. I asked the anesthesiologist in-depth questions about his drugs. These are things I learned from birth experiences. My surgery went well and I’m on the road to recovery. I feel confident about my doctor, my surgery and my choices. If every pregnant woman and new mother felt this way when faced with a choice we would be achieving our goals as birth activists.

Dr. Drew Sucks at Breastfeeding

mommy2be — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:00:48 +0000

I had caught a few episodes of “16 and Pregnant” on MTV this season. Mostly, I was disappointed at how many inductions were shown but all of the episodes I caught had vaginal births (albeit intervention-ful.) Tonight I turned on the “16 and Pregnant Reunion- Life After Labor” and most of it didn’t surprise me. They didn’t sugar-coat motherhood and the moms complained like crazy about how horrible labor was. No one mentioned a childbirth class or a doula. ?Then an audience member asked why none of the mother’s breastfed. One mother mentioned that she had tried breastfeeding and it was horrible. Dr. Drew interrupted her and yelled “It HURTS!” I’m pretty sure Dr. Drew has no personal experience with breastfeeding and has obviously not read any breastfeeding texts, ever. Breastfeeding should not hurt! Dr. Drew Pinsky is best known for radio/TV show Love Line where he gave advice on sex, love and relationships to teens and twenty-somethings. Dr. Drew is a bit of an icon but if he is giving out bad advice should today’s youth look somewhere else? What about Mary Jo Podgurski? If you want to see some interviews with the moms from “16 and Pregnant” you can look here. You can also write to MTV and suggest that Dr. Drew get some breastfeeding education at this address:

Mtv.com

1515 Broadway

New York, NY 10036

Husband of A Birth Activist

mommy2be — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:18:38 +0000

What does it mean to be the husband of a birth activist? I was considering this as my husband and I were driving down the road today. We were discussing a couple with whom we had just had lunch. They were pregnant and assuming they would have a c-section for LGA. Finally, my husband said “You can’t always change people’s minds. Sometimes they are going to make decisions that will hurt them.” Obviously, as the wife of a birth activist, he listens to my rants frequently. But what does that mean for him? Do partners of birth activists feel the same way about the importance of normal birth? What about your partner? My husband agrees with me but doesn’t think it’s his responsibility to educate people the way I do. I’m OK with that as long as he stands up for our decisions and gives good advice if people ask for it. How does your partner act?

AMA Seeks to Label “Non-Compliant” Patients

mommy2be — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:30:29 +0000

One of the great things about being an informed consumer is that you get to take part in the care you receive. This is why informed consent and informed refusal are so important. Just because one medical professional believes you need XYZ doesn’t mean that it is always right for you. This is especially so in pregnancy and birth. If pregnant women blindly say yes to everything that is offered to them they will find themselves poked, prodded and worried, if not truly physically hurt.?

So when I read this article from ICAN, I couldn’t believe it. My chart would be the first to be labeled Non-Compliant. Just because I want to choose what happens to my body and my baby I am “ungrateful”? I don’t think so. I’m certainly grateful for a doctor who has taken the time to tell me their opinion. That doesn’t mean I have to agree.

Happy Mother’s Day!

mommy2be — Sun, 10 May 2009 06:38:56 +0000

Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate all we do as mothers. Rarely do we receive the credit we deserve for our work. Thank you for what you do as a birth activist. Helping women find their way joyfully into motherhood is a lost art in our world. Whether your role is doula, childbirth educator, midwife, friend or mom of a future mother or father, what you do is important.?

“Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers – strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength.” —-Barbara Katz-Rothman

Women in Labor

mommy2be — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:37:04 +0000

I was having lunch with my doula today and asked her if she ever felt like she couldn’t talk to someone after their birth because of the way they had behaved in labor. She replied “No. I can excuse a lot.” When I think of the media’s portrayal of women in labor it’s screaming and frantic. While that can certainly happen (especially in cases where women are not well prepared) most women aren’t like that. “Quirky” is a good word for it. I love hearing stories of women’s labor where they decided they needed to rub one certain sheet or say one word over and over. What do you think brought on this image of women behaving like monkeys just because they are in labor? How can we change people’s attitudes about what labor looks like?

A Safer First Bath

mommy2be — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:38:54 +0000

One of the things that you may not think about as a benefit of homebirth is that you get to choose how your baby is first bathed. Having seen how some babies are scrubbed down in hospitals, I think it’s pretty scary. They may even use some baby products that you wouldn’t THINK of using at home. That’s why I was encouraged when I read about Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital in Oregon and their plan on using safer baby products for first baths. (Thanks to Tanya at Motherwear for alerting us to this!) How cool is that? If you read the article you will notice that this hospital has also Banned the Bags. Hooray!

Supporting Women with Epidurals

mommy2be — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:44:33 +0000

As I was lying in bed last night I was thinking about the differences in the way we treat women who have epidurals. For the most part, I think that women who are laboring without pain medication tend to command the attention of room. She *looks* like she’s in labor. But what about women, who for whatever reason, have an epidural? With of these births I think of the attention being drawn towards other things. Be that the dad, the grandparents or the television. How do we keep the focus on the woman and the birth when a woman is not feeling her body’s work? One thing that can help is hiring a doula. Doulas can help refocus the energy of the room. What about massaging her hands, talking to her about her baby, etc? What kinds of things do you think would help support a woman who is laboring with epidural anesthesia?

Aha Moment?

mommy2be — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:34:46 +0000

I just saw this commercial on TV. Having never dealt with infertility I don’t have personal experience to draw from. My sense is that giving someone struggling with infertility a baby gift wouldn’t be inspiring, it would be upsetting. What … Continue reading →