I just finished reading Orgasmic Birth by Elizabeth Davis and Debra Pascali-Bonaro and I loved it!
In a nutshell it puts forth the idea that pain during childbirth is actually a myth and does not need to be the norm. In studies referenced in the book, those women who believed childbirth would be painful did have a painful birth while those who did not, experienced shorter labors and less pain during childbirth. One of the books (among the many recommended throughout the book) is also referenced in Laura Kaplan Shanley's Unassisted Birth, which I'm reading now, called Childbirth Without Fear by Grantly Dick-Read. In his book he explains that fear and anxiety are the keys to a painful birth. In Orgasmic Birth, the connection between the psychological emotions of fear and anxiety directly tie in to pain through the brain's release of adrenaline which tightens your muscles in preparedness for fight or flight. It also reduces the amount of oxytocin in your body - the "love hormone" that causes contractions, your muscles to relax and stretch and changes your and the baby's emotional state to that of calm and increased bonding ability. It is said that the receptors for pain and pleasure are located in the same part of the brain, so that you cannot experience pleasure without being open to pain. Some say that contractions are not necessarily painful - although there are circumstances when they can be like when the baby isn't in the right position and back labor... The idea is to remove the expectation of pain and the anxiety that comes with it. The more you fight contractions or try to be strong through them, the more pain you will experience. If you allow the contractions to flow through your body in the faith that your body knows what it's doing and all is going well, there will be less pain perceived pain and more of a surge of energy.
Another point that I thought was interesting is that privacy is really stressed as is creating a birth environment that feels comfortable and safe to you. One reference was made to how animals birth and that if watched, labor reduces and can even stop. So, it is very important that wherever you choose to have your child, that you feel open and relaxed.
For those that suffered abuse - This was particularly interesting for me. No other book I have read so far has dealt with laboring women who have experienced serious trauma and I loved that this book emphases sexuality in a positive, personal way. An anecdote is given of one woman who came to the hospital and would not progress past 3cm in the 5 hours that she was there. The doctor ordered Pitocin (artifical oxytocin without the positive bonding side effects) to get things moving along. While the nurse went away to get the needed IV fluids, the woman confessed that she was scared that she'd never feel what it was like to be pregnant again. It had taken her 3 years to get pregnant and she didn't want to lose the feeling of a baby inside her. She began sobbing uncontrollably and within 30 mins the baby was born - the doctors didn't have enough time to give her the Pitocin and basically had to run to catch it. So, the book also asks you to be aware of what you are holding on to emotionally. It says that crying as well as laughing are acts of letting go so have people tell you jokes if you feel stuck.
One last thing before I have to run... Movement is unbelievably important. I didn't realize until now how important the mother's walking, standing, hip shaking along with gravity helped the baby move along and get into a good birth position. Do not listen to anyone that tells you that you need to be lying down during labor. Do what feels good and right to you. So far in everybody book I've read, lying down on your back is the worst thing you can do. You don't have the force of gravity working with you and vital veins which nourish the lower half of your body and the baby are impeded by the weight of your baby, which means less oxygen for you both. Also, eat and drink what you like and makes you feel good. The book says that you burn about the number of calories during labor as you would during a 50 mile hike, so stay hydrated and bring snacks with you.
If you're interested:
Orgasmic Birth - The book came out after the documentary film. Info on both can be found there.
Unassisted Birth.com
The Bradley Method of Husband Coached Birthing
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Rhesus Negative
Ever since I was little, I've known that I would have to get a shot when my baby is born because of the risk that my body will develop anti-bodies against its positive blood.
About 85% of the population have the positive blood type, which is tolerant to a negative blood type baby so that this isn't an issue for you if you are positive.
I didn't know that it is becoming increasingly common to give women one of these shots around the 28th week in case the mother's and baby's blood comes in contact. My midwife was very forceful in her opinion that I should get this shot and was appalled with me for not being aware of this procedure.
I have since done some research on the subject and spoken to a non-practicing gynecologist friend who herself has 5 children, all through homebirth. According to her and the Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, a woman has a 45 in 10,000 chance that blood contact will be made and antibodies formed. So less than 0.5%. The injection reduces a woman's risk by 0.1%. Hmmm. These points alone started getting me thinking. One of the reasons why this shot is pushed so strongly onto woman is that it is expensive and pharmaceutical companies make a lot of money off it. So that's why I'm being called irresponsible by my midwife...but I also wanted to know what is in it. It is apparently made from donor blood which puts you at risk for blood borne illnesses like AIDS and Mad Cow Disease. My husband was outraged and asked, "Don't they test that stuff??" Well, how many medical forms have you filled out where they ask you if have received a blood transfusion? It is known that blood from blood banks is not sterile. I remember one case in particular where people were getting AIDS from blood transfusions because although new donors were now being screened for HIV and AIDS, old blood that they had already collected was not being tested...too expensive for them. So, there is a risk that you might get a deadly disease from this shot and possibly transfer it on to your baby. Then there is the risk that the preservative Thimerisol is in the Rhogam injection. Thimersol is a known neurotoxin and there are no studies which document the permanent affects of it on infants. Most manufacturers have eliminated it but there is still the possibility that you might get "one of the bad ones."
With all of that information, I have to ask...are my risks of getting a blood borne illness and possibly poisoning my child with Thimersol, worth the 0.1% benefit the shot offers me?
I personally cannot agree with getting the shot now. There are obviously cases when it is recommended, where a woman's risk to develop antibodies is much higher than my 0.45% chance, and in that case the shot is a good idea because it will also provide more protection.
Needless to say I am a little frustrated with my midwife for making me feel like I am endangering my child, when she didn't even provide those statistics so that I could make an informed decision. Maybe she isn't even aware of the practically non-existent risk.
I will be getting the shot after the baby's birth so that I don't develop antibodies when our blood potentially mixes. I've heard scary stories that once antibodies have developed, the risk for miscarriage, etc. increase and my body will continue to try and kill any positive blood typed baby. I would need to be constantly monitored if that happens. Therefore I am only receiving the shot after birth, to prevent that from happening.
And for now, for my baby, I don't need unnecessary nonsense.
About 85% of the population have the positive blood type, which is tolerant to a negative blood type baby so that this isn't an issue for you if you are positive.
I didn't know that it is becoming increasingly common to give women one of these shots around the 28th week in case the mother's and baby's blood comes in contact. My midwife was very forceful in her opinion that I should get this shot and was appalled with me for not being aware of this procedure.
I have since done some research on the subject and spoken to a non-practicing gynecologist friend who herself has 5 children, all through homebirth. According to her and the Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, a woman has a 45 in 10,000 chance that blood contact will be made and antibodies formed. So less than 0.5%. The injection reduces a woman's risk by 0.1%. Hmmm. These points alone started getting me thinking. One of the reasons why this shot is pushed so strongly onto woman is that it is expensive and pharmaceutical companies make a lot of money off it. So that's why I'm being called irresponsible by my midwife...but I also wanted to know what is in it. It is apparently made from donor blood which puts you at risk for blood borne illnesses like AIDS and Mad Cow Disease. My husband was outraged and asked, "Don't they test that stuff??" Well, how many medical forms have you filled out where they ask you if have received a blood transfusion? It is known that blood from blood banks is not sterile. I remember one case in particular where people were getting AIDS from blood transfusions because although new donors were now being screened for HIV and AIDS, old blood that they had already collected was not being tested...too expensive for them. So, there is a risk that you might get a deadly disease from this shot and possibly transfer it on to your baby. Then there is the risk that the preservative Thimerisol is in the Rhogam injection. Thimersol is a known neurotoxin and there are no studies which document the permanent affects of it on infants. Most manufacturers have eliminated it but there is still the possibility that you might get "one of the bad ones."
With all of that information, I have to ask...are my risks of getting a blood borne illness and possibly poisoning my child with Thimersol, worth the 0.1% benefit the shot offers me?
I personally cannot agree with getting the shot now. There are obviously cases when it is recommended, where a woman's risk to develop antibodies is much higher than my 0.45% chance, and in that case the shot is a good idea because it will also provide more protection.
Needless to say I am a little frustrated with my midwife for making me feel like I am endangering my child, when she didn't even provide those statistics so that I could make an informed decision. Maybe she isn't even aware of the practically non-existent risk.
I will be getting the shot after the baby's birth so that I don't develop antibodies when our blood potentially mixes. I've heard scary stories that once antibodies have developed, the risk for miscarriage, etc. increase and my body will continue to try and kill any positive blood typed baby. I would need to be constantly monitored if that happens. Therefore I am only receiving the shot after birth, to prevent that from happening.
And for now, for my baby, I don't need unnecessary nonsense.
Monday, February 14, 2011
My Midwife and Me
I now live in a very small community of tight-knit Swabians in Southern Germany. Swabians, I think I can honestly say are not very liked by other Germans. They are known to be cheap, gossipy, get up at the crack of dawn to militantly sweep their drive ways and shout curses at you for not doing the same. It is a conservative group of people with a small town superiority complex. Oh, and they're mostly farmers. This is not where I expected to end up after spending the last five years of my life in hippy Berkeley and merry San Francisco. It is very hard as a foreigner to accept being shoved on the bus by little old ladies and to be blatantly stared at by whole groups of them as if their parents never told them that staring was rude. Friendliness is not in their character and it's a very frustrating, boring existence for both me and my husband.
In the midst of this culture shock, that I am still battling 7 months later, I had to find a person to trust with the delivery of my child. We all know how I dislike German medical staff for their total lack of basic human decency towards their patients so I hope you can all empathize with the inner struggle I was going through - as well as the verbal and mental abuse I had to tolerate from these people. The first place I went to to interview the midwives was a clinic in downtown Stuttgart. After my first visit, I already knew this was not the place for me but I kept going there as I didn't know where else to turn. As things progressively got worse, I finally decided to meet with a woman who came recommended by a coworker. The first meeting went really smoothly as she came to our house and explained the procedures she usually follows for a homebirth. A few days later I felt like I needed to explain some more things to her that were important to me. I had been reading about the Bradley method (husband coached birth), Orgasmic Birth and Unassisted Birth. Due to experiences I had in my childhood, I was extremely important to me that she understand "her place" in my birthing experience. I wanted it to be clear that my husband was the main and most important person to me and that I didn't want her to take on that role or try to force him out at any point so she could get a better look or be more involved in the action. What I really wanted was privacy and space and to have this experience with my husband as we bring our baby into the world together. I wanted her to just be there in the background or wherever in our small apartment and just hang out and "be there" should I have any questions, fears or doubts. I wanted to be able to birth my baby, not have her deliver it.
What followed were some stressful emails and phone calls where I was called egotistical, closed off and unwilling to listen to information. It was a very stressful time of trying to explain the same thing over and over again but not feeling like I was being heard. I still feel that she has this idea that my husband and I are afraid of medicine, we're not. We're afraid of incompetent people and the poorly informed....
My last meeting with the midwife was yesterday where she left me some homeopathic remedies that are supposed to make me more "open to new information." When she left, she asked if it was ok to go through our library as we have about a dozen birthing books... I don't know what she means when she tells me I am closed minded and selfish. I feel that by reading as much as I do about as many natural birth methods I can find, that I am very open to options, positions and treatments. I think women who sign themselves up for a medicated birth in a hospital and just expect their baby to be delivered, are the closed off ones. Anyway, one of the last things she said to me kind of confused me... She said "You want an unassisted birth, in German we call that a homebirth (Hausgeburt)". At that point I felt like all the information I had sent her on what an unassisted birth is had fallen on deaf ears. No. A homebirth is when someone births at home with a midwife or other medically trained assistence. Unassisted birth is a form of homebirth where there is no medical staff present, period. From that definition alone, it should be clear that I do not want an unassisted birth. I want a private, customed tailored birth designed specifically for me by me where a midwife is present. I want and consume volumes of information on the subject and it is a mystery to me how she can tell me I am closed off to information. Obviously she does not understand me or my motivations and I've kind of tuned out the name calling and labeling at this point.
It's a pretty strange relationship we have...I guess it works because I feel like she respects my decisions, even though she may be confused by or defensive towards them. I feel that she will honor whatever I choose to do and in return I just have to deal with her not fully comprehending what it is and let her label me as closed off and willfully ignorant. A little frustrating, granted, but at least I know how she works and thinks and I'm sure I'll be given the space I want for myself and my growing little family.
In the midst of this culture shock, that I am still battling 7 months later, I had to find a person to trust with the delivery of my child. We all know how I dislike German medical staff for their total lack of basic human decency towards their patients so I hope you can all empathize with the inner struggle I was going through - as well as the verbal and mental abuse I had to tolerate from these people. The first place I went to to interview the midwives was a clinic in downtown Stuttgart. After my first visit, I already knew this was not the place for me but I kept going there as I didn't know where else to turn. As things progressively got worse, I finally decided to meet with a woman who came recommended by a coworker. The first meeting went really smoothly as she came to our house and explained the procedures she usually follows for a homebirth. A few days later I felt like I needed to explain some more things to her that were important to me. I had been reading about the Bradley method (husband coached birth), Orgasmic Birth and Unassisted Birth. Due to experiences I had in my childhood, I was extremely important to me that she understand "her place" in my birthing experience. I wanted it to be clear that my husband was the main and most important person to me and that I didn't want her to take on that role or try to force him out at any point so she could get a better look or be more involved in the action. What I really wanted was privacy and space and to have this experience with my husband as we bring our baby into the world together. I wanted her to just be there in the background or wherever in our small apartment and just hang out and "be there" should I have any questions, fears or doubts. I wanted to be able to birth my baby, not have her deliver it.
What followed were some stressful emails and phone calls where I was called egotistical, closed off and unwilling to listen to information. It was a very stressful time of trying to explain the same thing over and over again but not feeling like I was being heard. I still feel that she has this idea that my husband and I are afraid of medicine, we're not. We're afraid of incompetent people and the poorly informed....
My last meeting with the midwife was yesterday where she left me some homeopathic remedies that are supposed to make me more "open to new information." When she left, she asked if it was ok to go through our library as we have about a dozen birthing books... I don't know what she means when she tells me I am closed minded and selfish. I feel that by reading as much as I do about as many natural birth methods I can find, that I am very open to options, positions and treatments. I think women who sign themselves up for a medicated birth in a hospital and just expect their baby to be delivered, are the closed off ones. Anyway, one of the last things she said to me kind of confused me... She said "You want an unassisted birth, in German we call that a homebirth (Hausgeburt)". At that point I felt like all the information I had sent her on what an unassisted birth is had fallen on deaf ears. No. A homebirth is when someone births at home with a midwife or other medically trained assistence. Unassisted birth is a form of homebirth where there is no medical staff present, period. From that definition alone, it should be clear that I do not want an unassisted birth. I want a private, customed tailored birth designed specifically for me by me where a midwife is present. I want and consume volumes of information on the subject and it is a mystery to me how she can tell me I am closed off to information. Obviously she does not understand me or my motivations and I've kind of tuned out the name calling and labeling at this point.
It's a pretty strange relationship we have...I guess it works because I feel like she respects my decisions, even though she may be confused by or defensive towards them. I feel that she will honor whatever I choose to do and in return I just have to deal with her not fully comprehending what it is and let her label me as closed off and willfully ignorant. A little frustrating, granted, but at least I know how she works and thinks and I'm sure I'll be given the space I want for myself and my growing little family.
Mama Says "No!"
I've been planning my homebirth here in Germany, pretty much since I got pregnant. The medical system here is a little confusing and it's difficult to understand who is responsible. A few months ago I read in the paper about a doctor who instead of removing a cyst from a woman's kidney, removed the whole kidney and damaged the other one. The woman died the same day. It seems that it was more convenient for the doctor to just take out the whole kidney instead of performing competent surgery which would have left her with two healthy kidneys - which is what she gave him authorization to do. The family is suing but as far as I know, nothing has happened to the doctor. He is still practicing medicine.
I have my share of horror stories when it comes to German doctors but I won't go into that now. For the moment, I just want you to know how scared I was moving back to Germany to have my baby and deliver it into incompetent hands. It's been something that has kept me up at night, terrified that I might choose some monster like my parents did "for me." This trauma of incompetent, apathetic doctors and parents has made me one of the most "resourceful" or paranoid people I have ever encountered.
Most of the books I'm reading about natural childbirth are from American sources. As I read through the chapters and descriptions of what to expect from an American hospital birth, I am somewhat surprised at the amount of freedom birthing women are given here especially when it comes to their right to decide what their babies will be given after birth.
In Germany -
Every pregnant woman gets a little book where the midwife, the doctor and the ultrasound record their results from each meeting. At first I was annoyed by this, that my midwife didn't have some centralized record keeping system that was shared with hospitals and (!) what if I lose the book? All records of my pregnancy will have been lost! I've gotten used to the idea and like to look at the entries every now and then and see what the ultrasound tech wrote about the size of my baby or when we heard the heartbeat with the midwife. It's nice. It's also something handy to have - I just decided - if you are having an unassisted birth and are doing your own prenatal care. It's really not rocket science. I think this experience is actually bringing me more in tune with how my body works and how to do basic health checks on myself.
Jumping to after the birth and you are holding your baby - In the state where I live Baden-Wuerttemberg, they do not put anything into babies eyes after birth. That goopy stuff they force on you in a lot of hospitals in America called Erythromycin is meant to prevent the mother from giving her baby STD germs. In Germany, at one of the first meetings with a midwife, you will have blood drawn if you wish to test for STD, if positive, then you know that you should be vigilant when it comes to the health of your baby's eyes, if negative no worries. Since I was tested, I know I have nothing to worry about and I love that the default is to give the baby nothing. I think it was in The Babytalk Insider's Guide to Your Baby's First Year where I read about alternatives to the goop. They recommended gently wiping your baby's eyes with a damp wash cloth with a little echinacea root on it or putting a few drops of breast milk in the baby's eyes if you notice that they are red or gunky. Breast milk was by far the most recommended "treatment" on the forum sites I visited. So, as a mama who doesn't want unnecessary chemicals put in her baby's eyes, which makes the baby's vision even more blurry thus impairing bonding, this Mama says No to goop and Erythromycin!
Another thing is the Hep B shot that they give babies en masse when they are born without regard for whether either of the parents has the illness. I looked it up online and for the most part, the biggest symptom of Hep B is liver failure (if you were curious: Hep B Symptoms, About the Vaccine). I am not against vaccinations in general but I am very protective of my baby. I don't think it's necessary for my newborn to get this shot. It is recommended in the US that a baby get this vaccine between birth and 2 months of age. There is no requirement in Germany for your child to have this vaccination. Mama says No to Hep B vaccination - especially since I've been tested for it..
Then there's the Vitamin K shot (see: Vit K, Inject Or Not?). The shot is meant to reduce the risk internal bleeding into the brain caused by liver disease in the newborn that goes undetected. The risk of your child having this illness is 5/100,000. The main problem is that liver disease impairs the baby's ability to produce blood clotting chemicals from the Vit K in his system - so the injection is supposed to help the baby by giving it more Vit K to work with. The argument against this injection is that it is known to increase your child's risk of cancer (leukemia) as Vit K promotes cell division - and cell division that gets out of hand is called cancer. There are a few different studies some saying it increases your child's odds by 80% and some say it up the odds by 10-20%. Either way, your child's odds of getting leukemia from Vit K are higher than your child having the illness it is supposed to treat in the first place. The main argument being made by people against this injection is that it is a ridiculously high amount of Vit K to be pumping into a small baby in one injection. Two alternatives are suggested, if you really want to give your baby Vit K. One would be that you give your baby several small doses of Vit K per mouth "possibly 200 micrograms per week for 5 weeks, totaling 1 milligram, even more gradual introduction may be better" and the other is for the breastfeeding mother to take Vit K supplements herself which then gets transferred to the baby via milk. Anyway, this Mama says no to a massive dose of Vit K right after birth. Not necessary and potentially dangerous. Friggin give me a vitamin and I've got it covered!
I have my share of horror stories when it comes to German doctors but I won't go into that now. For the moment, I just want you to know how scared I was moving back to Germany to have my baby and deliver it into incompetent hands. It's been something that has kept me up at night, terrified that I might choose some monster like my parents did "for me." This trauma of incompetent, apathetic doctors and parents has made me one of the most "resourceful" or paranoid people I have ever encountered.
Most of the books I'm reading about natural childbirth are from American sources. As I read through the chapters and descriptions of what to expect from an American hospital birth, I am somewhat surprised at the amount of freedom birthing women are given here especially when it comes to their right to decide what their babies will be given after birth.
In Germany -
Every pregnant woman gets a little book where the midwife, the doctor and the ultrasound record their results from each meeting. At first I was annoyed by this, that my midwife didn't have some centralized record keeping system that was shared with hospitals and (!) what if I lose the book? All records of my pregnancy will have been lost! I've gotten used to the idea and like to look at the entries every now and then and see what the ultrasound tech wrote about the size of my baby or when we heard the heartbeat with the midwife. It's nice. It's also something handy to have - I just decided - if you are having an unassisted birth and are doing your own prenatal care. It's really not rocket science. I think this experience is actually bringing me more in tune with how my body works and how to do basic health checks on myself.
Jumping to after the birth and you are holding your baby - In the state where I live Baden-Wuerttemberg, they do not put anything into babies eyes after birth. That goopy stuff they force on you in a lot of hospitals in America called Erythromycin is meant to prevent the mother from giving her baby STD germs. In Germany, at one of the first meetings with a midwife, you will have blood drawn if you wish to test for STD, if positive, then you know that you should be vigilant when it comes to the health of your baby's eyes, if negative no worries. Since I was tested, I know I have nothing to worry about and I love that the default is to give the baby nothing. I think it was in The Babytalk Insider's Guide to Your Baby's First Year where I read about alternatives to the goop. They recommended gently wiping your baby's eyes with a damp wash cloth with a little echinacea root on it or putting a few drops of breast milk in the baby's eyes if you notice that they are red or gunky. Breast milk was by far the most recommended "treatment" on the forum sites I visited. So, as a mama who doesn't want unnecessary chemicals put in her baby's eyes, which makes the baby's vision even more blurry thus impairing bonding, this Mama says No to goop and Erythromycin!
Another thing is the Hep B shot that they give babies en masse when they are born without regard for whether either of the parents has the illness. I looked it up online and for the most part, the biggest symptom of Hep B is liver failure (if you were curious: Hep B Symptoms, About the Vaccine). I am not against vaccinations in general but I am very protective of my baby. I don't think it's necessary for my newborn to get this shot. It is recommended in the US that a baby get this vaccine between birth and 2 months of age. There is no requirement in Germany for your child to have this vaccination. Mama says No to Hep B vaccination - especially since I've been tested for it..
Then there's the Vitamin K shot (see: Vit K, Inject Or Not?). The shot is meant to reduce the risk internal bleeding into the brain caused by liver disease in the newborn that goes undetected. The risk of your child having this illness is 5/100,000. The main problem is that liver disease impairs the baby's ability to produce blood clotting chemicals from the Vit K in his system - so the injection is supposed to help the baby by giving it more Vit K to work with. The argument against this injection is that it is known to increase your child's risk of cancer (leukemia) as Vit K promotes cell division - and cell division that gets out of hand is called cancer. There are a few different studies some saying it increases your child's odds by 80% and some say it up the odds by 10-20%. Either way, your child's odds of getting leukemia from Vit K are higher than your child having the illness it is supposed to treat in the first place. The main argument being made by people against this injection is that it is a ridiculously high amount of Vit K to be pumping into a small baby in one injection. Two alternatives are suggested, if you really want to give your baby Vit K. One would be that you give your baby several small doses of Vit K per mouth "possibly 200 micrograms per week for 5 weeks, totaling 1 milligram, even more gradual introduction may be better" and the other is for the breastfeeding mother to take Vit K supplements herself which then gets transferred to the baby via milk. Anyway, this Mama says no to a massive dose of Vit K right after birth. Not necessary and potentially dangerous. Friggin give me a vitamin and I've got it covered!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Memory Cards
My dad came down for a visit and started promptly uploading his photos to his laptop. He does this a lot, to the point where it might be considered a little OCD. Well, he tells me that he's had multiple memory cards fail on him. Luckily he had just recently uploaded all his photos so nothing was lost. He said "I know, it may seem like I do it the the extreme." However, that's why he's always doing it, so those precious memories aren't lost. I'd never heard of that before and since my camera and memory card will be 5 years old in December, I will be compulsively uploading my photos to my computer lest my card fail. That reminds me, where's my camera cable? Just that I would write about it since I had never even heard about that happening. Happy clicking!
Birthday Cake
I consider myself a pretty good baker, just ask my family. A couple years ago, I asked my husband what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. We had just watched a movie about this woman who made these out-of-this-world pies with "different" flavor combinations. One of her creations was raspberry chocolate pie. So of course my husband's response to my cake question was "How about raspberry chocolate pie?" Right. Ok, how hard can that be? I get online and do a search. It took awhile to find a recipe that had not only good reviews and a decent picture, but also an ingredient list that wasn't a mile long. It looked good and wasn't too involved so I thought why not. I must say, that was the best raspberry chocolate pie I have ever had. Well, that's really not saying much because it was the only raspberry chocolate pie I have ever had. It wasn't too sweet and was actually quite light.
Ok, so this year I asked my son what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. I don't know why I even bothered. His past birthdays, he wouldn't even try his cake so I don't even have a picture of him eating cake at his second birthday. Anyhow, my son requested blueberry cake. I'd say blueberries are his number one food request right now. I'm like "Ok, blueberry cake. Right." So I go online again and find two recipes that look equally as good and I can't decide. I try to ask my peeps on Facebook to vote, however, had very little participation. So I showed my son the pictures of the cakes and asked him which one he like best. He picked the one I was leaning toward. Blueberry cream cake. Really nice cake. Again not too sweet or heavy. My parents really liked it as did the other party guests. Of course, my son would not touch the cake and I only got him to taste the tiniest little bit today. So if you're looking for cake ideas for any occasion, give these a whirl.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chocolate-Raspberry-Pie
http://www.cookiemadness.net/2008/09/nova-scotia-blueberry-cream-cake/
*Note: for the blueberry cream cake I used light sour cream. Don't think it made a bit of different. It was so good with fewer calories.
Ok, so this year I asked my son what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. I don't know why I even bothered. His past birthdays, he wouldn't even try his cake so I don't even have a picture of him eating cake at his second birthday. Anyhow, my son requested blueberry cake. I'd say blueberries are his number one food request right now. I'm like "Ok, blueberry cake. Right." So I go online again and find two recipes that look equally as good and I can't decide. I try to ask my peeps on Facebook to vote, however, had very little participation. So I showed my son the pictures of the cakes and asked him which one he like best. He picked the one I was leaning toward. Blueberry cream cake. Really nice cake. Again not too sweet or heavy. My parents really liked it as did the other party guests. Of course, my son would not touch the cake and I only got him to taste the tiniest little bit today. So if you're looking for cake ideas for any occasion, give these a whirl.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chocolate-Raspberry-Pie
http://www.cookiemadness.net/2008/09/nova-scotia-blueberry-cream-cake/
*Note: for the blueberry cream cake I used light sour cream. Don't think it made a bit of different. It was so good with fewer calories.
Homemade lactose free yogurt
Ok, my family is lactose intolerant. It's just milk though. We're fine with pretty much everything else, oh, except ice cream. I started buying Kefir instead of drinkable yogurts, because my son prefers to drink his yogurt. Kefir is 99% lactose free, which is a great bonus. Anyhow. The first round of lactose free yogurt was a little disappointing. I live in South Texas and I only have HEB done here. There are two different types of lactose free milk that are HEB brands. The first round of yogurt, I used the "Lactose Free Milk" HEB has. It's a lot sweeter than the other option and my son always thinks I'm giving him flavored milk with this one. Well, the yogurt was runny and elastic. There's a bunch of crap in the milk like guar gum. Guar gum in milk? I'm confused. So, I strained the yogurt for 24 hours and ended up making frozen yogurt out of it. It was really tasty and we couldn't get enough. So in anticipation of my parents coming to visit for my son's birthday yesterday, I wanted to make some homemade Greek yogurt to make tzatziki for the lamb they were bringing. This time I used the 2%"Mootopia" lactose free milk and used 2% Greek yogurt as my starter. (Last time I used both whole milk and yogurt.) It worked perfectly. I adjusted the recipe a little so I wouldn't have left over milk/yogurt mix. I didn't have quite enough to fill my 8 yogurt cups so I will adjust it again next time. I forgot to get fresh dill for the tzatziki, but other than that it was quite tasty.
Recipe:
3 Tbsp yogurt
5 cups of milk
The recipe says to heat the milk to a boil if it is not already treated at Ultra high temps to kill of any bacteria in the milk. I haven't done this step and haven't had any problems. If you do boil the milk make sure it is completely cold before you mix it with the yogurt. I adjusted the recipe to:
3 Tbsp yogurt
3 1/2 cups milk
Next time I will up the milk to 4 cups so I have enough to fill all my cups. Set the yogurt make to 9 hours and cook. Once it's done. Put the lids on the cups and cool in the fridge. And there you have it. I bought my yogurt maker at Goodwill. Totally scored. I've seen recipes for the crock pot but don't have one to try it in.
Recipe:
3 Tbsp yogurt
5 cups of milk
The recipe says to heat the milk to a boil if it is not already treated at Ultra high temps to kill of any bacteria in the milk. I haven't done this step and haven't had any problems. If you do boil the milk make sure it is completely cold before you mix it with the yogurt. I adjusted the recipe to:
3 Tbsp yogurt
3 1/2 cups milk
Next time I will up the milk to 4 cups so I have enough to fill all my cups. Set the yogurt make to 9 hours and cook. Once it's done. Put the lids on the cups and cool in the fridge. And there you have it. I bought my yogurt maker at Goodwill. Totally scored. I've seen recipes for the crock pot but don't have one to try it in.
To each his own
Babies are meant to be spoken to, held, and rocked among other things. I believe my son to be a smart child, but I am his mother and am supposed to think that right? Well, I have a lot of strangers comment on how chatty he is for his age. I feel that is mainly because I was always engaging him and talking to him. I didn't allow him to cry for very long unless it was/is bed time. And even then it broke my heart listening to it and feeling like "Well, the experts say this is the best way." Well, I've learn otherwise since my son was a baby and if ever there should be another little one in our home, I will do things differently. Anyhow, I was holding a fussy baby this evening. I was patting her back, talking to her, just walking around letting her see what was going on. I was finally able to sit down with her and continued patting her back and rocking back and forth on the couch. She was calm most of the time I held her and finally fell asleep. The mother commented "She likes you. You're good with her." This woman has more than one child and I never see her talk much to the infant or engage her. Maybe it's just the times that I see them, but I find that very odd. The baby "likes" me and responded to me, because I talked to her and reassured her. Not that she can truly understand what the heck I'm saying, but a calm voice does tend to have a calming effect on a person.
I find that with my son, patience for us has been wearing thin since he hit about 2 and 1/2. I try to remind myself that he is only 3 and that he doesn't know any better or he's not doing it out of spite. However, he is a lot smarter than your average 3 your old (again in my humble opinion) and I do find myself telling my son "You know better than that!" Yes, repetition is key at this age and I know that, but in the heat of the moment every thing goes out the window. He is such a stubborn child and the stand offs that occur at our house can be taxing on everyone. I find myself looking for books and forums that can tell me how to deal with my son's behavior without flying the handle most days. Today was a good day for us all. He had a fever all day yesterday on his birthday and woke up this morning all better. He was the sweetest little thing all day today and I am hoping that means his tantrum days are over. However, I know that the answer to that is "Yeah right!" Being stubborn is a good thing. He won't give up easy and he will try until he succeeds. He has the all the drive he will ever need to be a success in today's society.
I know my past has a lot to do with how I react today. I keep telling myself I am going to "talk" to "someone" and get my issues with the past sorted out so I can move on and learn how to deal with life in a better and more positive way. Until I can though, I will be reminding myself that "He is only three." Repetition, repetition, repetition.
Back to the fussy infant. Just holding her and rocking her made me think about my son. Of course he is perfect in every way. He is such a gentle soul and I need to nourish it more. He was sent to me for a reason and I know he would not thrive in the environment this little infant is in. To each his own. I'm not judging. Just ranting. This woman as an older child that is sweet, helpful, and very friendly. So I know her children are perfect in their own way. We have different parenting views, I guess is all I'm trying to say in this long rant. To each his own.
I find that with my son, patience for us has been wearing thin since he hit about 2 and 1/2. I try to remind myself that he is only 3 and that he doesn't know any better or he's not doing it out of spite. However, he is a lot smarter than your average 3 your old (again in my humble opinion) and I do find myself telling my son "You know better than that!" Yes, repetition is key at this age and I know that, but in the heat of the moment every thing goes out the window. He is such a stubborn child and the stand offs that occur at our house can be taxing on everyone. I find myself looking for books and forums that can tell me how to deal with my son's behavior without flying the handle most days. Today was a good day for us all. He had a fever all day yesterday on his birthday and woke up this morning all better. He was the sweetest little thing all day today and I am hoping that means his tantrum days are over. However, I know that the answer to that is "Yeah right!" Being stubborn is a good thing. He won't give up easy and he will try until he succeeds. He has the all the drive he will ever need to be a success in today's society.
I know my past has a lot to do with how I react today. I keep telling myself I am going to "talk" to "someone" and get my issues with the past sorted out so I can move on and learn how to deal with life in a better and more positive way. Until I can though, I will be reminding myself that "He is only three." Repetition, repetition, repetition.
Back to the fussy infant. Just holding her and rocking her made me think about my son. Of course he is perfect in every way. He is such a gentle soul and I need to nourish it more. He was sent to me for a reason and I know he would not thrive in the environment this little infant is in. To each his own. I'm not judging. Just ranting. This woman as an older child that is sweet, helpful, and very friendly. So I know her children are perfect in their own way. We have different parenting views, I guess is all I'm trying to say in this long rant. To each his own.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Well, Hello!
This blog has a few reasons for coming about. I guess the obvious one is that I've moved to Germany and am suffering from culture shock and too much time due to my being pregnant. For the last 10 years, I've lived in the San Francisco area and graduated from UC Berkeley just last year. I really enjoyed the open minded community, the variety in beliefs, entertainment and different landscapes that California offers from the mountains in the Central Valley where my family is from to the Berkeley Hill and the San Francisco coast. Living in such a versatile environment has introduced me to lots of different cultures which has made me a fairly open person. Especially, having spent so much time in Berkeley where natural food, yoga and meditation seem to be the basis for existence, I've developed an interest in those subjects mainly for personal reasons but it's nice to be able to share little things I've learned with people I care about.
Now that I'm pregnant, my interests and concerns about good food, exercise and bodywork (massage, baby!) have extended to natural child care and how to give my baby the best of what's available.
My younger sister had her first baby a few years ago, which was a shock for me being older and having always thought that I would be first to do everything... I guess we're all ready at different times. Anyway, it was just interesting to see that the choices she made when it comes to taking care of her baby and now toddler are the same that I see myself making. As she is more knowledgeable and has more experience than I do, I've asked her to help me write this blog about how to make and maintain a healthy, happy baby, family, home and self!
Obviously, what we post here will for the most part be information and insights from other sources along with our own experiences. We will try to give credit where it is due to authors, websites and fellow bloggers.
And before this gets much longer, it was nice of you to check in. Stop by again soon.
Susan & Andi
Now that I'm pregnant, my interests and concerns about good food, exercise and bodywork (massage, baby!) have extended to natural child care and how to give my baby the best of what's available.
My younger sister had her first baby a few years ago, which was a shock for me being older and having always thought that I would be first to do everything... I guess we're all ready at different times. Anyway, it was just interesting to see that the choices she made when it comes to taking care of her baby and now toddler are the same that I see myself making. As she is more knowledgeable and has more experience than I do, I've asked her to help me write this blog about how to make and maintain a healthy, happy baby, family, home and self!
Obviously, what we post here will for the most part be information and insights from other sources along with our own experiences. We will try to give credit where it is due to authors, websites and fellow bloggers.
And before this gets much longer, it was nice of you to check in. Stop by again soon.
Susan & Andi
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