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Head’s Down, Thumbs Up! On My Way To Home Birth

That was what my first grade teacher would call out before we played Seven Up, which was my favorite game at that big-kid school. (Well, not the homebirth part).

This time, I mean something entirely different……THE BABY TURNED! HER HEAD IS DOWN!!!
Thumbs up, as in, “fantastic.” Head’s down, as in: her head is down. Capish?

I am so excited that she’s finally decided to go along with the program.

While she was turned the wrong way, I did some research and found https://www.spinningbabies.com/. It was very helpful and gave me lots of information as well as recommending the exercises/positions I tried, like the inversion I showed as a video example in one of the last posts. Some of the information on baby position I got from this picture that I borrowed from them. The caption above this picture is

Head Down Is Only Half The Story

I didn’t know this. I’ve heard of “posterior”babies that give you lots of back labor. That’s when the baby’s occiput (the back of the skull) is facing your back, so you see the baby’s face as it comes out, instead of the back of the head. It’s a little harder and usually more uncomfortable to push this baby out.

The ideal baby position is LOA, “Left Occiput Anterior”. This means that the baby is lying along the left side, with the occiput facing the mother’s front (not posterior).

I believe that my little princess is in that ideal position, but I am not sure. At least her head is down, though.

If your baby is head down, but in one of the other positions, SpinningBabies has some exercises/positions that are supposed to be helpful for getting the baby to move. I am going to rest and trust that all is well unless I get an indication of something otherwise.

If at all up to us, we would like to have our baby one week from yesterday, on August 16th. Don’t laugh, we’ve chosen a delivery date in the past, and it worked just fine.

I’ll keep you posted!

From a very soon to be mama of 5.

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Who Knows How to Deliver a Breech?

“C-sections shouldn’t be ‘automatic’ for breech births, Canadian doctors say”

Duh.

I can’t believe that since the year 2000, every woman with a breech baby gets cut open. They thought it was safer. I am so glad that it’s finally being concluded that it’s not necessarily true.

But there are still 2 main problems.

First, and this is the smaller of the two, not everyone agrees with this yet. But, I think it will come soon.

The bigger problem lies with the short-sightedness of the medical community.

Nobody has regularly delivered breech babies naturally for so long, that nobody knows how. They don’t get trained to do it. So, even those who might be willing have no skill. Some do, and have, but it’s a small group. And depending where you live, there may be laws against it.

Here in Israel, it is illegal to have a breech delivery at home. So the midwives won’t do it; they’d lose their licenses. And they haven’t been trained for it, anyway. The only option for someone like me (if my baby doesn’t turn) is to go to the hospital. At the hospital, they want to automatically cut me open, and not even try to deliver naturally. I can choose a hospital where they have more doctors who do deliver breeches, and refuse a C-section, and pray that they will not automatically cut.

But it’s a crappy position to be in.

If I lived in many other places, especially in Europe, there would be midwives who would be happy and confident to help me birth this baby at home, as I’d like to.

For now, I’ll keep going to the chiropractor and hanging upside down. And pray that she turns.

Here’s the link to the article from Canada: https://bit.ly/6Cb3k

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Time To Hang Upside Down

Yes, really.

I just came from my ultrasound where I found out that this girl of mine (who is indeed a girl, I did find out) is now completely Breech. No good.

I’m going to begin inversion exercises. And continue going to my chiropractor for the Webster’s technique (see video on my last post). And I’m also going to find a Chinese Medicine/acupuncturist and go. I’m not looking forward to that one. I tried acupuncture once and hated it. But it’s certainly better than the alternative.

Here’s the inversion technique I will try. I’m not looking forward to it, either.

I’ll let you know how it goes…

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Are Baby Girls More Difficult?

My supposed baby girl ( I say “supposed” because it’s possible that the doctor made a mistake, and it’s not a girl I’m carrying) is being difficult. I have heard that boys are much easier, and girls are more complicated… I wonder if she’s starting already?

Last week I went for a checkup to find that the baby was lying in a somewhat transverse position.
This is a true transverse lie. The baby is going side-to-side instead of up and down. A baby in this position cannot be delivered vaginally. It would have to move into a better position, or be delivered surgically. I don’t think I have a true transverse baby; she seems to be more oblique.
This is an oblique position. The head is at least in the right “hemisphere” (down). This baby still needs to move before coming out, but it’s a lot closer.
This is an optimally positioned baby. This is what I want. Head down, in the middle, with the baby’s back facing outward.
There are things that I can do/have done to help my baby turn into the right position.

One is the Webster’s Breech Turning Technique, performed by a chiropractor. I had this done 2 times last week, and on the third visit, my legs were completely balanced, so he didn’t perform it.

I have been diligently trying to discern the baby’s position, but I really can’t tell. So, I’m going for an ultrasound in just a little while to see what she’s up to.

I’ll let you know!

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“For Low-Risk Births, Home Is As Safe As Hospital”

I just read a great article, on Quality Health, put out by Reuters Health in New York. It states that for low-risk births, home is as safe as hospital.

“Low-risk women should be encouraged to plan their birth at the place of their preference, provided the maternity care system is well equipped to underpin women’s choice,” Dr. A. de Jonge, from TNO Quality of Life, Leiden, the Netherlands, and co-researchers note in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

I am tired of people looking at me like I have two heads when I say that I am planning to give birth at home, that I have done so for all four of my babies, and that I wouldn’t want it any other way. Even if it is free of charge in the hospital, and I’d have to pay out of my pocket for a midwife at home. (we have socialized medicine here in Israel.)

I think the tide is turning.

“The findings, they conclude, indicate that with proper services in place, home births are just as safe as hospital births for low-risk women.”

This study was done in the Netherlands, a place that has a lower rate of both maternal and fetal deaths than the US. Maybe we should listen to them.

People are getting wise to the motivation (from the hospital’s side) behind most hospital births, and I am so glad to see more people seeking alternatives. The documentary movie The Business of Being Born gives great details about hospital births; watch the trailer here: https://bit.ly/f1Tzi

Cindy Crawford chose to have a home birth and shares her story in 4 parts. Here is the link to watch part 4 of her interview:

https://bit.ly/MwvTp

If you want to watch all of it, you can follow links on that site to the previous webisodes.

You can read the full article from Reuters here: https://bit.ly/KqNXW

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Watermelon: A Pregnancy Super Food

I love watermelon, I always have. Crunchy and refreshing, it’s the Perfect Snack For Summertime When You Don’t Have Air Conditioning In Your House. (That’s pretty common in Israel)

And I just found out some great news. Watermelon is not only delicious, it has special qualities which make it a great pregnancy food. Apparently, watermelon:

Eases Heartburn
Reduces Swelling
Helps Morning Sickness
Alleviates Dehydration
Contains Minerals That Help Third Trimester Muscle Cramps
Contains nutrients important for the development of baby’s brain, vision, nervous, immune systems, and more.

Is high in Lycopene, an antioxidant which increases the skin’s SPF (besides all the other great things that antioxidants do). Who doesn’t want that during the summer?
Lycopene also reduces the incidence of preeclampsia by 50%.

I’m enjoying my second bowl of the day right now. Eat up!

This information came from an article on FitPregnancy. Here’s a link to the full article:

https://tinyurl.com/kmzcd4

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Summertime Kids-How Scheduling Can Stop The Madness!

I have four children, ages 6,5,3&16 months. And a baby due in about 4 weeks (yay!). The 3 older boys have been at day camp for the last 3 weeks, but today is the last day. They will ALL be home, with me, until school begins again September 1. (*Gulp!) They will ALL be home/out of school when the baby is born and for a few weeks after that. What am I going to do with them?

I am a big fan of homeschooling. I did it for one year of preschool, and am taking a break from it until they get a little bit older; they need to learn Hebrew which I believe can best be done by immersing them at school, and I do not feel I can homeschool when so many of them are so young. So, my plan (at the moment) is to begin homeschooling the oldest after first grade and add a child each year after that.

The reason I bring up homeschooling is that one of the biggest challenges of homeschooling is: how to get schooling AND housework AND playing AND (fill in the blank) done without everyone killing each other?

I find a similar challenge during vacation time. My boys love to play together, and are good at finding things to do. But after 2 days off or so, I find that there is not only an increase in bickering and injuries, but also they are more likely to find things to do that…ahem…I don’t approve of. While free time and “boredom” can stimulate creativity, I find that lack of boundaries/expectation/direction leads to less than desirable behavior.

What to do? Just as a homeschooling family must do, you schedule. Schedule, schedule. I know some of you are thinking that it doesn’t sound like much fun for them, that you want them to be able to relax and enjoy themselves, and think of their own activities. I’m not suggesting an absence of free time. Instead, I’m suggesting that even free time gets scheduled.

Most of the help in scheduling I learned from Teri Maxwell, in her book Managers Of Their Homes. www.Titus2.com It was the only guide I found for step by step help in creating a schedule for a large family that had time slots for all that was necessary.

Some of my favorite tips are:

  • Schedule play periods for 2 siblings together. They strengthen their relationships and get along better than they do when there are 3 or more.
  • Schedule meal helpers
  • Schedule one on one time with Mom or Dad
  • Schedule playtime alone; every child should learn to entertain himself
  • Choose activities for different days of the week so that they rotate and the children don’t get bored. Example: Monday fingerpaint, Tuesday playdough,Wednesday blocks, etc.

Kids love dependable routine. They are much more likely to go along with the program if you already know what the program will be. And I really think it’s the only way to stay calm in the eye of the vacation storm.

I’ve tried it the other way during vacation time. I didn’t like it much. This time…I’m ready.

What are you doing with your little ones during summer vacation?

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Easy Hummus Recipe

If you’ve never tried Hummus, you’ve been missing out. Hummus is a Mediterranean dish made from pureed chickpeas (garbanzo beans.)It’s delicious on sandwiches or as a dip for veggies. There are many varieties and flavors; if you don’t like it one way then that only means that you haven’t found “your” secret ingredient.

The basic ingredients are:Cooked Chickpeas,Garlic,Olive Oil,Lemon Juice.

Israelis add Tahini, which is a paste made from sesame seeds (like peanut butter, but from sesame seeds). Tahini is a critical ingredient to Israelis; I don’t like it, and I make my hummus without it, like the Greeks do.

I can’t give you an exact recipe because I don’t use one; I just:

1)Put my cooked chickpeas in the food processor and add:

A garlic clove

Some lemon zest, and juice of 1 lemon

Salt

Cumin (optional)

Blend till smooth, adding water as necessary, tasting and adjusting seasonings.

Variations include: Adding roasted peppers, fresh herbs such as cilantro, dill, or parsley, cayenne pepper for a little kick. Be creative! There are many things you can do, it just depends on your taste.

For a nice presentation, spread the hummmus on a shallow dish, with an “edge” higher than the rest, and a slight depression in the center. Sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil; add some olives if you’d like.
I serve this with Roasted Eggplant and Couscous Tabouli Salad, with pita bread for dipping or making sandwiches.
Here is a video showing the basic steps for making Hummus. It’s not my video; I don’t use all of the same ingredients. But it shows the main idea and what it should look like when you’re done. Because there are so many variations, you can take some, all, or none of the ones shown here.
Enjoy!

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More Reasons to Birth at Home

For obvious reasons, I have Birthing On My Mind. I can’t believe our little GIRL might be here in FOUR weeks! Maybe five or six. But either way, it’s soon.

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately on the web, researching things related to a more Natural Lifestyle for this blog. I’ve noticed what seems to be a trend: more people are becoming less satisfied with the “standard” hospital birth. Those same people are helping to publicize Natural Childbirth, which almost always means Home Birth.

This is Good.

In getting closer to my own birthing experience and poking around on the web, I’ve discovered something: I am very passionate about hombirth. I see these interviews and read of people’s experiences and tears stream down my face as I feel sad for those who don’t know how peaceful and wonderful the birth experience could and should be.

Here is an extremely well-done video which further helps convey some reasons we choose to birth at home. For anyone considering this, or just wanting to know more, WATCH THIS.

It’s one video, in two parts.

And here’s an article from the LA Times about Ceseareans in hospital births https://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/17/business/fi-cover-birth17

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Homemade Almond Milk

Are you looking for a milk alternative? If you are wondering why you should be, then please read my post on milk

Well, we try to limit our dairy consumption to occasional cheese or ice cream for a treat, so when it comes time for eating cereal, we have used rice milk for years. I recommend rice milk over soy milk because soy is quite difficult to digest.

Rice Dream costs about $3.50 per 1 liter box, and our family of 6 easily finishes a whole box for one breakfast. In learning to be frugal, I started thinking….maybe I can make my own rice milk. I haven’t really looked into it, because I think it may be complicated (but I still will try to find out at some point), but I realized that I could do what I used to do when I was weaning the boys and wanted to introduce a highly nutritious “milk” for them. I made seed and nut milks!

Raw nuts and seeds are highly nutritious and can be made into butters, and yes MILKS, for babies and adults alike. The most nutritious are almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds.

I prefer Almonds to the others for milk due to their mild taste. Here is how to do it:

1/2 to 3/4 cup raw almonds (depends on how full you want the flavor to be. I used 1/2 c)
3or 4 dates (for a little sweetness)
water

1. Put the almonds and dates(pitted) in your Vitamix or blender. (more on this below)
2.Cover with water not much above the level of the food
3.Blend on high till smooth, adding only as much water as needed to blend. It will be thick.
4. Add water until liquid consistency.
5. Strain through fine mesh strainer, and again through cheesecloth (I used a clean cloth diaper/burprag) DO NOT THROW AWAY ALMOND MUSH! This is nutritious stuff and can be used in your next smoothie or added to pancakes or cookies. Use within a day or freeze for future use.
6. Your milk should be nice and smooth, free of particles. Add as much water as you want to achieve the consistency and flavor you want. I made 1 L of milk from 1/2 c almonds & 3 dates.

Pour on your quick and easy homemade granola or other cereal and enjoy! Also delicious to drink.

Note: this milk will not keep for more than a day or two in the fridge. Use the same day for best taste and nutrition.

About the blender: Work like this is tough on a regular blender. It can be done although it will wear your blender down quickly. For regular smoothie making, nut milk making, creamy soup blending, and other yummy stuff, I highly recommend a Vitamix or similar blender. I use mine every day and love it!