DoulaMomma

postpartum depression in dads

2009-12-13T15:46:00.005-05:00

When I meet with expectant parents prenatally or teach a childbirth class, we discuss impacts on marriage, general adjustments and also postpartum depression for the person giving birth. But I will now raise the issue for dads/partners regardless of gender as well. OK - it's not really the same - for postpartum women the depression is generally biochemical, and it was pointed out to me that a new name should be given so as not to take away focus on PPD in birthing women. However, I do think it's helpful for people to know that depression, no matter the cause, can happen for either partner (and has also been noted in adoptive parents) upon such a huge life event. I suggest to everyone, but especially those with a tendency toward depression (or sensitivity to hormones), to have a plan in place in case it becomes an issue. Most people going through even minor depression, combined with sleep deprivation etc., find it overwhelming to have to start from scratch if they need to find a support group or therapist.

from the New York Times:

Mind
Postpartum Depression Strikes Fathers, Too

Article Tools Sponsored By
By RICHARD A. FRIEDMAN, M.D.
Published: December 7, 2009

The pregnancy was easy, the delivery a breeze. This was the couple’s first baby, and they were thrilled. But within two months, the bliss of new parenthood was shattered by postpartum depression.

A sad, familiar story. But this one had a twist: The patient who came to me for treatment was not the mother but her husband.

A few weeks after the baby arrived, he had become uncharacteristically anxious, sad and withdrawn. He had trouble sleeping, even though his wife was the one up at night breast-feeding their new son. What scared her enough to bring him to my office was that he had become suicidal.

Up to 80 percent of women experience minor sadness — the so-called baby blues — after giving birth, and about 10 percent plummet into severe postpartum depression. But it turns out that men can also have postpartum depression, and its effects can be every bit as disruptive — not just on the father but on mother and child.

We don’t know the exact prevalence of male postpartum depression; studies have used different methods and diagnostic criteria. Dr. Paul G. Ramchandani, a psychiatrist at the University of Oxford in England who did a study based on 26,000 parents, reported in The Lancet in 2005 that 4 percent of fathers had clinically significant depressive symptoms within eight weeks of the birth of their children. But one thing is clear: It isn’t something most people, including physicians, have ever heard of.

At first, my patient insisted that everything was just fine. He and his wife had been trying to conceive for more than a year. He was ecstatic at the prospect of fatherhood, and he did not acknowledge feeling depressed or suicidal.

Suspicious of his rosy appraisal, I pushed a little.

It turned out that he had just taken a new high-pressure job in finance six months before the birth of his son. Though he was reluctant to admit it, he clearly had more than a little concern about his family’s financial future.

And he was anxious about his marriage and his new life. “We go out a lot with friends to dinner and theater,” he said wistfully, as I recall. “Now I guess that’s all going to end.”

He had spent the nine months of pregnancy in a state of excitement about being a father without really registering what a life-transforming event it was going to be.

Unlike women, men are not generally brought up to express their emotions or ask for help. This can be especially problematic for new fathers, since the prospect of parenthood carries all kinds of insecurities: What kind of father will I be? Can I support my family? Is this the end of my freedom?

And there is probably more to male postpartum depression than just social or psychological stress; like motherhood, fatherhood has its own biology, and it may actually change the brain.

A 2006 study on marmoset monkeys, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, reported that new fathers experienced a rapid increase in receptors for the hormone vasopressin in the brain’s prefrontal cortex. Along with other hormones, vasopressin is involved in parental behavior in animals, and it is known that the same brain area in humans is activated when parents are shown pictures of their children.

There is also some evidence that testosterone levels tend to drop in men during their partner’s pregnancy, perhaps to make expectant fathers less aggressive and more likely to bond with their newborns. Given the known association between depression and low testosterone in middle-aged men, it is possible that this might also put some men at risk of postpartum depression.

By far the strongest predictor of paternal postpartum depression is having a depressed partner. In one study, fathers whose partners were also depressed were at nearly two and a half times the normal risk for depression. That was a critical finding, for clinicians tend to assume that men can easily step up to the plate and help fill in for a depressed mother. In fact, they too may be stressed and vulnerable to depression.

And there is the child to think about. Research has clearly shown that maternal postpartum depression can impair the emotional and cognitive development of infants. A father could well buffer the infant from some of the adverse effects of maternal depression — but that is a tall order if he too is depressed.

Dr. Ramchandani, who also followed children for three and a half years after birth, reported that they were affected differently depending on which parent was depressed. Maternal postpartum depression was associated with adverse emotional and behavioral effects in children regardless of sex; depression in fathers was linked only with behavioral problems in boys. (The study did not report on possible effects when both parents were depressed.)

As for my patient, he recovered within two months with the help of psychotherapy and an antidepressant. Afterward, he summed up the situation in just 10 words: “And I thought only women get this kind of thing.”

All too many doctors think so too.

Richard A. Friedman is a professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.

"BABIES" - a new documentary

2009-12-03T15:30:00.002-05:00

Check out the trailer for this new documentary, estimated due date 4/16/10 (in theaters) - looks wonderful...I dare you not to laugh or get misty!

trusting what you read, thinking before you write

2009-12-03T13:09:00.002-05:00

a friend (hi Laura) sent me a link to an entry in this social media blog, containing the following quote:

In a Nielsen survey, it was pointed out that 70% of people surveyed believed opinions they read about something online. It was the second highest level of trust people gave (trusting their known friends came first). So, just by writing something down online, 3/4 of the population will believe what is written. If you’re evil, this is awesome. If you’re a good person, this requires a little bit of thought.

Good to consider for blog writers and blog readers...

local breastfeeding class - NJ

2009-12-01T08:57:00.002-05:00

BREASTFEEDING
BASICS

Sat. Dec 5th - 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

- The Benefits of Breastfeeding
- Starting Off on the Right Path After Delivery
- What to Expect from a Newborn
- Latch & Positioning
- Milk Supply and How Milk is Made
- How to tell if Baby is Getting Enough
- Support from Partner
- Skin-to-Skin and Bonding
$60/couple

Instructor: Danit Wehle, RN, IBCLC
Registered Nurse
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
For private consultations. Please call 973-866-0039

Contact: Kelli DeFlora,RYT, LMT, CD
To register for class, Please call 973-655-9655
Or register online at www.motherbirthyoga.com

Location: Montclair, NJ

Welcome baby Phoenix!

2009-11-26T17:15:00.002-05:00

A Thanksgiving baby, born on his due date! Gorgeous, healthy and now surrounded by family who are thankful, indeed. Welcome to this world, on this special day, Phoenix!

snippet of motherhood

2009-11-25T15:46:00.001-05:00

My 5yo said, "what up?" when I called his name today...he's one cool cat.

tell the FDA to 86 BPA!

2009-11-23T16:01:00.001-05:00

Here's a portion of an email from MomsRising with a link to the petition against BPA:

The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing BPA, and they will release their recommendations next week. The more of us working together right now to finally rid food containers of toxic BPA, the better.

That's why we're partnering with CREDO Action on this last-minute push to keep our food safe. There's nothing quite as good as doubling down to increase the odds of getting toxics out of our food containers.

It's time for action. Join us in signing CREDO Action's petition to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg urging a ban of BPA in all food packaging!

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/fda_no_bpa/

Did you know that Bisphenol-A (BPA) has been implicated in everything from miscarriages to cancer to sexual dysfunction? And it can be found in your food containers! BPA is in a broad range of food packaging including baby bottles, water bottles, almost all soda can liners and many other types of packaging.

Make no mistake, BPA gets into our food: Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group have both studied the issue and found BPA in many of the canned products they tested, including infant formula, vegetables, soda and soup. And we are what we eat. BPA is present in detectable levels in over 90% of Americans' bodies.

Hundreds of studies have confirmed the dangers of even low-level doses of BPA. The risks are severe enough that the prestigious Endocrine Society released a special statement last summer explicitly warning that low-level exposure to BPA can adversely affect female and male reproduction, thyroid function, and metabolism, and could even increase obesity. ¹

There is already overwhelming evidence that BPA is dangerous to our health. It has no place in our food, or our children's food, even at the lowest levels. It's time for the FDA to put people's safety above corporate profits. When the FDA releases its BPA review on November 30, the agency should call for an immediate ban on the use of BPA in any and all food packaging, including baby bottles and can linings, and should further require companies to fully test and disclose the nature of all chemical ingredients used in food packaging and linings.

Let the FDA know it's not OK for bottles or food packaging to contain dangerous chemicals. Tell FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg that enough is enough, join us in signing CREDO Action's petition, which they'll deliver to the FDA.

snippet of motherhood

2009-11-19T20:28:00.010-05:00

My 12 yo thinks he should be permitted to drink coffee in the morning...and not decaf, "because that would be pointless". I was at least 14 before I joined the Coffee Achiever's Club*.

And who would be making this coffee anyway? Oh, and he requests soy milk and more agave. So now my kitchen is a coffee bar? (OK - actually it kind of is, but not for kids!) Will he next be specifying how many degrees at which he would like his no-foam latte?

I told him just to go to bed earlier.
His reply? "How about Red Bull then?"

* an advertising campaign in the '80's - but we had a "chapter" at my high school - I considered myself president

breech should not automatically equal cesarean, according to Canadian study

2009-11-17T17:51:00.004-05:00

Delivery guidelines

C-section not best option for breech birth

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada will launch program to teach physicians breech vaginal delivery...

Physicians should no longer automatically opt to perform a cesarean section in the case of a breech birth, according to new guidelines by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada.

Released yesterday, the guidelines are a response to new evidence that shows many women are safely able to vaginally deliver babies who enter the birth canal with the buttocks or feet first.

read entire story here

maternal mortality in the US and abroad

2009-11-13T16:19:00.006-05:00

from BBC news:

click here to see a video interview - one story of loss, right here in NJ

Maternal mortality across the world

The US spends more money on mothers' health than any other nation in the world, yet women in America are more likely to die during childbirth than they are in most other developed countries, according to the OECD and WHO. The BBC's Laura Trevelyan has been trying to find out why.
Four million American women give birth every year, and about 500 die during childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications.
In the richest nation in the world, giving birth is more risky than you would think.
"No American woman should die from childbirth in 2009, we can definitely do a lot better," says Dr Michael Lu, Associate Professor of Obstetrics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
In New Jersey, Jim Scythes is bringing up his two-year-old daughter Isabella on his own.
His wife, Valerie, died from blood clots shortly after giving birth to Isabella by Caesarean section.
Jim still cannot believe that Valerie died after giving birth, here in America.
"When Isabella walked for the first time, I sat on the floor and cried, because Valerie should have been there. I believe this could have been prevented and now my daughter will never know her mother."

MATERNAL MORTALITY

One woman dies every minute during childbirth, yet almost all of these deaths are preventable.

In 2001, the UN set itself the goal of slashing maternal mortality by 75% by 2015, but it is nowhere near meeting that target.
Health ministers from around the world are meeting in Ethiopia to work out how to make up for lost ground.
The BBC is publishing a series of reports to mark the occasion.

So why are women in America more likely to die during childbirth than they are in most other developed nations?
The answers are complex. A healthcare system which leaves what Dr Lu estimates are 17 million women of child-bearing age without health insurance could be one factor.
Obesity, poverty and the high rate of C-sections in America all play a part.
Dr Lu says about half of American women are entering pregnancy overweight. "Obesity is a major risk factor for pregnancy-related complications.
"First we need to improve the health of women before they get pregnant, and second we need to improve the quality of maternal care in America."
Shocking story
The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta is the US government agency that collects national statistics on the numbers of women dying during childbirth.
Dr Bill Callaghan of the CDC says the latest maternal mortality data suggests one in four to one in five women who die have heart disease, or diseased blood vessels.

To the extent that we don't explain racial disparity in pregnancy-related mortality, we're going to have difficulty making headway into it

Dr Bill Callaghan
Centers for Disease Control

Could that be due to women being overweight? I asked. "It could be," replies Dr Callaghan, "the obesity epidemic has not spared women of reproductive age."
Dr Bill McCool, at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing, points out that America is far above the World Health Organization's goal of a 15% C-section rate.
"Surgery of any kind has risk," he says, and a C-section is, "still the riskiest way to have a baby.
"In the US, almost one third of women have that procedure for delivery of their baby."
The statistics on maternal mortality in America tell a shocking story when it comes to African-American women.
They are three to four times more likely to die during childbirth than white American women.
Dr Bill McCool says that even wealthy black American women have a higher rate of mortality during childbirth than wealthy white women.
"People have looked at this from different angles.

"We know that African-American women tend to have higher blood pressure than the rest of the population, so is there a link there?"
JoAnne Fischer, Executive Director of the Maternity Care Coalition, which works with low income women to help them stay healthy during their pregnancies, says: "We do know that there is extraordinary stress involved in racism and in being poor. "
"And we know that sometimes this creates hypertension.
"Hypertension, obesity and diabetes are all linked, so we have to make sure women start their pregnancies healthy."
Dr Bill Callaghan, of the CDC, finds that not knowing why African-American women are at greater risk when giving birth has given him and his colleagues' sleepless nights.
"We can say that some of this may be due to socio-economic disparities.
"But it does not explain all of it.
"And to the extent that we don't explain racial disparity in pregnancy-related mortality, we're going to have difficulty making headway into it."
As doctors and US officials try to work out why American women are dying in childbirth, and what can be done to prevent it, Jim Scythes is still mourning his wife Valerie, who was all too briefly a mother.

cookies for contractions?

2009-10-26T10:17:00.004-04:00

I was sent this from another doula...hmmm. They sound yummy at the very least!

Labor Cookies

2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
8 T. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. molasses
1/4 c. egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and spices and set
aside. Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the molasses to the creamed
butter, then add the egg whites until combined. Add the dry ingredients
slowly. Once incorporated, roll dough into 1 inch balls and place onto
baking tray. Bake 8-10 minutes.
Once cool eat as many as you can possibly
stomach, lay down for a nap and wait for labor to begin!

finding peace

2009-10-19T15:00:00.003-04:00

Today I received a comment from someone full of sadness & regret about her own three cesarean births in regards to a prior post from last January on VBA3C (vaginal birth after 3 cesareans) -

Here was my response:

Dear Anonymous,
I wish your story was uncommon, but it is not, as I'm sure you know.
I don't want to be dismissive (at all), but I do hope you can look back on your births (- yes, I said births... you had unwanted c-sections but you also gave birth to wanted babies -) and can find the victories too. The questions you asked, the thought of what you would prefer even if no one was able to help you make that happen...
I really encourage every woman who feels any sort of trauma or sadness from her births to find someone to listen and help you frame your stories to find the power. Pam England from Birthing From Within & author/doula Penny Simkin are two names to consider for potential phone consults. And the fine folks at ICAN & VBAC.com...
I wish you peace. Please feel free to be in touch if more info is needed.

Kim/DoulaMomma

Twelve

2009-10-19T12:42:00.002-04:00

Today my oldest is twelve...hard to believe. Last night we talked about his birth story, just like last year, except he seemed to be humoring me a bit this time. Guess he's growing up.
This morning he informed me that 12 is not really that old, but that since he's so mature, he's actually much older...ah youth!

another snippet of motherhood

2009-10-07T09:32:00.002-04:00

Overheard, 5yo saying to 8yo:

"Cereal Killer? Why would anyone want to kill cereal - that's just crazy."

I love that kid!

maternal mortality

2009-09-26T12:22:00.003-04:00

One mother dies every minute of every day in relation to childbirth - and it doesn't have to be this way. Check out the great piece in Huffington Post with a few stunning statistics like these"

Each year, more than a half million women lose their lives from complications arising before, during, or after childbirth. Almost all of these deaths occur in the developing world, and almost all of them are preventable.

and

The child of a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5, and when girls finish quality secondary and higher education, 84% of them will give birth with skilled medical help, more than twice the rate of mothers with no formal education.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rania-al-abdullah/maternal-mortality_b_300052.html

CIMS (kickass) response to The Today Show

2009-09-26T12:19:00.002-04:00

Sept. 22, 2009

Dear Producers of The Today Show,

The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) and the undersigned
organizations are disappointed with The Today Show's misrepresentation of
midwives and home birth that aired on Sept. 11, in a segment titled "The
Perils of Midwifery," later changed to "The Perils of Home Birth." This
biased and sensational segment inaccurately implied that hospitals are the
safest place to give birth even for low-risk women and mischaracterized
women who choose a home birth with a midwife as "hedonistic," going so far
as to suggest that these women are putting their birth experiences above the
safety of their babies. Neither could be further from the truth.

Unfortunately, The Today Show did not do its homework on the evidence
regarding the safety of home birth and midwifery care. The segment featured
an obstetrician who presented only the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists' (ACOG) position in opposition to home birth, but it did not
make any attempt to present the different viewpoints held by the many
organizations that are committed to improving the quality of maternity care
in the US. We are deeply saddened that the show did not take the opportunity
to note that both CIMS and The National Perinatal Association respect the
rights of women to choose home births and midwifery care, and that the
respected Cochrane Collaboration recommends midwifery care because it
results in excellent outcomes.

There is no evidence to support the ACOG position that hospital birth for
low-risk women is safer than giving birth with midwives at home. What the
research does show is that the routine use of medical interventions in
childbirth without medical necessity can cause more harm than good, while
also inflating the cost of childbirth. However, the current health system
design offers little incentive for physicians and hospitals to improve
access to maternity care practices that have been proven to maximize
maternal and infant health.

"Birth is safest when midwives and doctors work together respectfully,
communicate well, and when a transfer from home to hospital is needed, it is
appropriately handled," says Ruth Wilf, CNM, PhD, a member of the CIMS
Leadership Team.

That is why the national health services of countries such as Britain,
Ireland, Canada, and the Netherlands support home birth. In those countries,
midwives are respected and integrated into the maternity care system. They
work collaboratively with physicians in or out of the hospital, and they are
not the target of modern day witch hunts. These countries have better
outcomes for mothers and babies than the US.

Childbirth is the leading reason for admission to US hospitals, and
hospitalization is the most costly health care component. Combined hospital
charges for birthing women and newborns ($75,187,000,000 in 2004) far exceed
charges for any other condition. In 2004, fully 27% of hospital charges to
Medicaid and 16% of charges to private insurance were for birthing women and
newborns, the most expensive conditions for both payers. The burden on
public budgets, taxpayers and employers is considerable.

As US birth outcomes continue to worsen, it should come as no surprise to
The Today Show that childbearing women are seeking alternatives to standard
maternity care. After all, American women and babies are paying the highest
price of all-their health-for these unnecessary interventions, which include
increasing rates of elective inductions of labor and cesarean sections
without medical indication.

To the detriment of childbearing families, the segment "The Perils of
Midwifery" totally disregarded the evidence. Although the reporters
acknowledged that research shows home birth for low-risk women is safe, that
message was overshadowed by many negative messages, leaving viewers with a
biased perception of midwifery care and home birth. CIMS makes these points
not to promote the interests of any particular profession, but rather to
raise a strong voice in support of maternity care practices that promote the
health and well-being of mothers and babies.

One of the ten Institute of Medicine recommendations for improving health
care is to provide consumers with evidence-based information in order to
help them make informed decisions. The Institute recommends that decisions
be made by consumers, not solely by health care providers. The Institute
maintains that transparency and true choice are essential to improving
health care. We remain hopeful that the medical community will soon
recognize the rights of childbearing women when it comes to their choices in
childbirth and will respect and support these choices in the interest of the
best possible continuity and coordination of care for all.

We urge The Today Show to provide childbearing women with fair and accurate
coverage of this important issue by giving equal time to midwives, public
health professionals, researchers of evidence- based maternity care, and
especially to parents who have made choices about different models of care
and places of birth.

Sincerely,
Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
Academy of Certified Birth Educators
Alaska Birth Network
Alaska Family Health and Birth Center
American Association of Birth Centers
American College of Community Midwives
American College of Nurse-Midwives
Bay Area Birth Information
Birth Network of Santa Cruz County
Birth Works International
Birthing From Within, LLC
BirthNet
BirthNetwork National
BirthNetwork of Idaho Falls
BirthNetwork of NW Arkansas
Choices in Childbirth
Citizens for Midwifery
DONA International
Doulas Association of Southern California
Evansville BirthNetwork
Harmony Birth & Family
Idaho Midwifery Council
Idahoans for Midwives
InJoy Birth and Parenting Education
International Childbirth Education Association
International MotherBaby Childbirth Organization
Lamaze International
Madison Birth Center
Midwives Alliance of North America
Motherbaby International Film Festival
Nashville BirthNetwork
National Association of Certified Professional Midwives
North American Registry of Midwives
Oklahoma BirthNetwork
Perinatal Education Associates, Inc.
Reading Birth & Women's Center
Rochester Area Birth Network
Sage Femme
The Big Push for Midwives Campaign
The Tatia Oden French Memorial Foundation
Triangle Birth Network
Truckee Meadows BirthNetwork

About Us
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) is a coalition of
individuals and national organizations with concern for the care and
wellbeing of mothers, babies, and families. Our mission is to promote a
wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and
substantially reduce costs. The CIMS Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative
is an evidence-based mother-, baby-, and family- friendly model of care
which focuses on prevention and wellness as the alternatives to high-cost
screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs.

References:
1. The Perils of Home Births,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32795933#32795933
2. Birth Can Safely Take Place at Home and in Birthing Centers,
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=2409129&blobtype=pdf
3. Offers All Birthing Mothers Unrestricted Access to Birth Companions,
Labor Support, Professional Midwifery Care,
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=2409134&blobtype=pdf
4. ACOG Place of Birth Policies Limit Women's Choices Without Justification
and Contrary to the Evidence,
http://childbirthconnection.com/article.aspClickedLink=790&ck=10465&area=27
5. Ratifiers and Endorsers of The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative,
http://www.motherfriendly.org/ratifiers.php
6. Choice of Birth Setting,
http://www.nationalperinatal.org/advocacy/pdf/Choice-of-Birth-Setting.pdf
7. Position Statement on Midwifery,
http://www.nationalperinatal.org/advocacy/pdf/Midwifery.pdf
8. Midwife-led versus other models of care for childbearing women,
http://cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab004667.html
9. Evidence-Based Maternity Care: What It Is And What It Can Achieve,
http://childbirthconnection.com/pdfs/evidence-based-maternity-care.pdf
10. Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices,
http://www.lamaze.org/ChildbirthProfessionals/ResourcesforProfessionals/Care
PracticePapers/tabid/90/Default.aspx
11. Millennium Development Goals Indicators, United Nations,
http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx
12. National Vital Statistics System, Birth Data,
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm
13. Induction By Request,
http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21239_20203.asp
14. Cesarean Birth By Request,
http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21239_19673.asp
15. Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century,
http://www.iom.edu/CMS/8089/5432.aspx
16. The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative,
http://www.motherfriendly.org/mfci.php

Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 102
Raleigh, NC 27607

Tel: 919-863-9482
Fax: 919-787-4916

www.MotherFriendly.org

Hey NBC!

2009-09-25T21:18:00.006-04:00

Let NBC know that the viewing public deserves accurate information on birthing options...sign the petition by Choices In Childbirth

(check out background on what all the fuss is about & watch the video here)

my baby with his baby

2009-09-24T17:13:00.003-04:00

August, 2009. He used to carry a frog around in the sling. He didn't want to send this picture into school when a picture was needed...sigh
The camo shirt is a bit ironic, I suppose!

ladies & babies

2009-09-24T16:46:00.002-04:00

another snippet of motherhood

2009-09-23T12:03:00.004-04:00

A breakfast conversation:

8yo son: "Mom, can we start going to church? I like those God crackers I tasted that one time"

Me: "Well, they are called Communion Wafers and not all churches have them. Is that the only reason you want to go to church? Because we can go, but not just for crackers."

Son: "Hmm...I don't know - I'm just curious. Of course, we would need different clothes..."

snippet of motherhood

2009-09-19T17:28:00.002-04:00

Today my five year old said, "Mom, pretend I control you"...pretend?

Welcome baby Ruby!

2009-09-16T22:40:00.005-04:00

Good things come to those who wait - and wait we did!
Born this afternoon, at almost 42 weeks, 7 lbs 12 oz and a beautiful girly girl!

Ruby - thank you for choosing today and allowing me to be at your birth!

Your momma's hard work and preparation paid off - she was so incredibly relaxed and worked so hard but made it look easy as she sang you into the world. Both your folks were filled with fun and laughter...what a gift to be born into so much joy! Even your doggy sister seemed excited today and I know she, too, will give you many kisses.

Enjoy this big, amazing world Ruby!

PS: This evening I happened to see the other Ruby I know...I was at her birth too and now she's in first grade (!) - she thought it was neat that you were born today!

Welcome baby Lachlan!

2009-09-15T18:36:00.003-04:00

Wow - so you decided to be a Jersey boy instead of an NYC kid...no rush hour trip to the city for your momma in transition after a short labor!

7 pounds and 19 inches of cute! What a blessing to have your grandma there with your awesome parents, who were both so upbeat while waiting for you. Your strong momma actually sang beautifully through her contractions while your daddy and I danced with her, sometimes all three (well, make that four, including you) of us together. And she had a peaceful smile on her face in between contractions, all while conversing in German with one of the doctors!...such a touching and inspiring thing to see.

Enjoy this big world, Lachlan...and have fun climbing all the trees in the orchard your folks have planted for you!

Have you hugged...

2009-09-14T18:04:00.007-04:00

your massage therapist today? I have!
Today, as a post-triathlon (more on that later) treat, I booked a massage with my friend Sue Rexford. Sue did the tri also - in fact, she was the one who suggested I do it (as well as a boatload of other women), so it seemed appropriate to spend part of today with her.

I have seen her for massage a few times along the way during training and I really think it helped me avoid injuries and I know she helped me run the 10k in June. Not sure, but I think she has some special training in sports massage, as well as prenatal/postpartum and good old everyone.

Today I went to her brand new space and had the most sublime time. The new digs are sunny, calm & relaxing (no worries - the scented eye pillow made it instantly dark). Sue just knows where things hurt and finds the spots I didn't even know were bothering me. My pregnant & postpartum clients have also had this experience with her - a wonderful intuition about the body entrusted into her amazing hands.

So if you're local & this entry has sparked an interest in looking Sue up, you can get in touch with her at her new studio,

Bodhi Tree
631.235.2602
suerex@yahoo.com
75 South Orange Avenue
suite 211
South Orange, NJ

Presumption or positive thinking?

2009-09-12T07:54:00.000-04:00

I just learned that next year's Danskin Triathlon is one year from today & we can sign up before the race. Will I want to do this again in 364 days?
What if you had to commit to having a next kid at the start of labor with the current one?? Wacky.