For all my fellow lactivists!

I seriously could have written this. I meet every single bullet point! ;)


You might be a lactivist if...

• You read every article on breastfeeding you come across. Even if you already know everything it says. Maybe even if you've read it before. You can't help it, you have to read them and your significant other is likely going to get an earful about what you read regardless if the tone of the article was positive or negative.
• You don't flinch, blush or feel even a little awkward with words like "breast," "boobs," "nipple," "areola," "bra," etc. Around anyone, ever. You may not even care where you say them. It is common to say them often.
• You have to resist the urge to applaud a woman breastfeeding in public. Or smile broadly at her while staring. Or hug her. Or point her out to, oh, everyone. Or stalk her, just a little.
• Little gets you hotter than another story in the news about a woman and her baby being asked to leave an establishment while breastfeeding or invited to breastfeed in the bathroom. Seriously, the bathroom? It's been said before but you'll say it again; would YOU want to eat in the bathroom? Didn't think so. What is wrong with people having an issue with a baby eating? You will go on and on and on about this to anyone willing to listen and sometimes, even those that aren't.
• Talking with someone that has just had a baby you don't hesitate to ask "how's breastfeeding going?" You don't actually know if they are breastfeeding but you assume they are. And if things aren't going well you're ready to spring into action to help. Your baby gift is a pair of the softest reusable breast pads, a tube of lanolin, a water bottle and a boppy.
• The idea of someone touching your breast or you touching someone else's breast to assist with breastfeeding a newborn is like, so whatever. Since that's what b@@bs are for, it's no big deal any more. You might even forget that it still is a big deal for others and inadvertently make new moms uncomfortable. Got to work on that.
• You have downloaded and printed or purchased "Thank you for breastfeeding in public" cards to hand out to breastfeeding moms you spot while out and about. And you use them too. There are some in your purse, your glove box, your diaper bag, the back pocket of your jeans, and your kids backpack. You consider it a good day if you got to hand out a few at the mall.
• There are at least 2 Facebook groups you follow about breastfeeding and Twitter too. Maybe even a forum or two. You check often and share lots of links and stories. Reading the stories others post there is addicting and before you know it you've spent hours reading about breastfeeding. All for the cause, all for the cause.
• You get home from a trip to the zoo and post on a FaceBook wall how many women you saw NIP while you were out. Probably on one of those pages but maybe even your own private Facebook. This doesn't seem strange to you at all, after all, how else are we going to normalize breastfeeding? Seeing mothers NIP should be celebrated, you're just doing your part. Nothing crazy about that!
• You have taken pictures of yourself breastfeeding. Or had your partner or older child snap a few for you. It's real serious if you've had a breastfeeding sitting with a professional photographer. Is it framed and on your wall? Is there a piece of breastfeeding art, photograph or other, that isn't of you? Why not, right? It's beautiful and natural. In fact, you probably have more pictures of you breastfeeding, most likely of just your chest, arm and little one, than of you actually looking at the camera or doing any thing else.
• You have shared pictures of yourself breastfeeding online. On those groups or forums. Or your own blog. Even better if it's your profile image on a social networking site or discussion board. You're a proud breastfeeder! Breastfeeding is not obscene Facebook! You probably even "liked" the Facebook page that says that.
• You know what the World Breastfeeding Symbol is and you have used it either online or in real life. Do you have a bag or shirt with it? Does your baby? A car decal? Or is it part of your profile pic? Yeah? You've got it bad baby. If you ever happen to see the symbol in a business you'll probably hug the shop owner.
• You know when World Breastfeeding Week is and you get a little giddy when it rolls around every year. Events are planned, give-aways are entered, and lactation cookies are baked. You know what organization is doing what, where and when and you plan on being there. That is, if you didn't organize it yourself. You probably even got a special shirt for the occasion. Maybe even learned a dance.
• You don't like Nestle and avoid buying Nestle products. Even if your favorite candy is Butterfinger. The fact that the BlogHer conference was sponsored by Nestle really bothered you and you even asked your favorite blogger how they could participate. When Halloween rolls around you debate digging through the kid's loot to find the Nestle products and throw them away. Except for the Butterfingers, you eat those rationalizing that at least you didn't pay for them.
• Covering for breastfeeding to you means making sure your belly, back and sides are covered but you don't worry about who may catch a brief glimpse of a little b@@b. In fact, you have mixed feelings about breastfeeding covers. Whatever helps a woman feed her baby is great but should we be hiding breastfeeding? It's complicated and you're just happy for breastfeeding in public at all. Personally, you just don't want your flab showing.
• Breastfeeding past a year is normal, passed 2 common and over 3 no biggie. It's the people that have a problem with it that are weird. You know that the global average age for weaning is age 4 so people just need to get over themselves since breastmilk doesn't suddenly turn to water after a certain age. It's not like there is an expiration date on breastfeeding, sheesh.
• The Kelly Mom, Best for Babes, Dr. Jack Newman, La Leche League, and other breastfeeding websites are bookmarked on your computer. You also have a considerable breastfeeding library which you loan out often. In fact, you bought several copies of your favorite breastfeeding book to have on hand to give to new moms. You do so with excitement and a list of those websites and don't even notice your partner throwing a breastfeeding-cover-apron-thingy over his head while you jabber on excitedly. When you do notice you give him a "Thank you for NIP" card.
• You can name at least 3 celebrities that breastfed. You might even know how many kids and how long they breastfed. But you're not sure what movies or TV shows they are from and maybe have never even seen them in anything or know why they are even celebrities at all.
• Science comes out with new information that breastfeeding has "new" health benefits for mom and/or baby and you say "duh." The information is good to know, you're glad they've done research but it just seems kind of obvious that feeding as nature intended would be a good thing, right?
• You meet someone for the first time in a non-breastfeeding related environment and you somehow are talking about breastfeeding within 20 minutes. You know if they were breastfed, if they did or intend to breastfeed, how long, what they've read, if they are aware of your favorite breastfeeding resources, etc. Later you may not remember their name but you'll be able to confidently greet them with "You breastfed your youngest for 16 months, of course I remember you!" This applies to men too.
• You think maybe Gisele was on to something. Even if you don't exactly agree with what she said or that it could even happen you can totally understand it and even secretly wish it was possible. You're cautious about saying that anywhere but can't help wonder "what if...?"
• The phrases "if breastfeeding offends you put a blanket over your head" and "if breastfeeding is sexual then a bottle is a dildo" make you laugh and you really, really want to share them somewhere. You probably have too. And you know more and have come up with a few of your own. They are what go through your head when having conversations with anti-breastfeeding types. Sometimes they even come flying out of your mouth.
• Your children think feeding babies with bottles is weird. In their minds the only reason to do so is because something is wrong or the mother is unavailable and then it would be expressed breastmilk. They may not even know what formula is.
• It is strange that you haven't typed or said "breastfeeding" in one full day. Woah, how did that happen? You must have been sick.
• Out on a date your partner asks if you could talk about something other than breastfeeding for a little bit. Whether you were talking about you breastfeeding, someone else breastfeeding, breastfeeding in the news, or something else, you didn't even realize you were until he asked to change the subject. It just seemed... normal.
• You want to replace the slogan "breast is best" with "breast is normal." You've thought long and hard about this and you're ready to change the world. Breastfeeding is normal!
• After reading an online article about breastfeeding in public harassment incidents, you read through the comments and respond to every uneducated reply posted. You only walk away after you realize your blood pressure is through the roof. And in search of some chocolate.

My next obsession...

Will be what I learn about natural birth! I am hoping to have a VBAC this time around and I am on a quest to learn all I can about having the most natural pregnancy/birth possible! I hope to transfer to a homebirth midwife or the Austin Area Birth Center once I have my first ultrasound done! I am really looking forward to this being so different than last time!

How could you not?

I just loved this picture of Tyler nursing today.

Broken

I can not stop crying.

Her faith is inspiring and my heart hurts for them

http://laylagrace.org

It's funny to look back...

While I was in the shower yesterday.... (which coincidentally is the only time I have to my self and most of the time that "self" time includes a little 25 pound angel banging on the shower door) I started to think about the time while I was pregnant and all of the thoughts and notions I had as to what this would mean for my life.

I recalled meeting with the person we interviewed as a babysitter and asking her tons of questions and even though she was perfect it still didn't feel right. We even gave her a $300 deposit. What is humorous to me from the particular time is that we talked with her about paying her extra if we wanted to go to Happy Hour after work. Really?? I thought at that time that even though I had been away from my baby ALL day long and having someone else practically raise him that I would want MORE time away? And it's not that I didn't want him or love him. We tried for a year to make him... it was just that I envisioned my life staying the same with this new little bundle of love in it. I knew I wanted to breastfeed and figured I would just be able to pump extra milk and party it up? I guess I can partly see why my mom is so shocked at the kind of mother I have become.

I envisioned this perfect little baby that I would watch through the video monitor all snug in his elaborately decorated nursery while Tim and I watched TV at night and then retreated to our bed to cuddle all night like normal.


I am not sure if I thought this way because I had not known many people that breastfed or followed attachment parenting. I didn't even know what the term was until I found out I had been doing it for 6 months!


But once this little person entered my world he was all I could think about or do. I could not fathom having to turn him over to someone at the teeny age of 12 weeks and trust that he would be secure all day. I even went by a daycare and looked in the newborn room and saw the "cages"... quite literally. It was rows of boxes where they pulled rails down to protect from rolling out etc. I almost vomited. This was the most expensive daycare around and it made me want to pass out at the thought of leaving my helpless small baby with them.

I started having panic attacks when the time came to go back to work. It was bad. I would just be here nursing him and would think about what was to come and would start bawling. It had always been "impossible" for me to stay home as we bought a $200,000  and had student loan and furntiture payments out the wazoo. I started crunching the numbers and figured out that with saving nothing for college, retirement etc, never going out to eat, not buying anything not 100% needed ( books, lotion, makeup for fun)... it was BARELY doable.


To this day:

• I have only been seperated from Tyler 6 or 7 times and my mom or Tim has watched him
• He has never spent a night or nap out of our room
• He is still nursing
• He has never been left to cry it out
• He has never been spanked

I know most people that say " I can't stay home" just like I did but if you really want it you will find a way. This is nothing to say of moms that don't want to etc. More power to them. I am not one of those people that loves to work and if it is part of you and you enjoy it you should continue. This is not bashing working moms. Its about notions vs. reality.

Do I wish we had more money? Yes! Of course I wish I could take Tyler to the zoo and out to lunch all the time and buy him the best and save for his future but I can NEVER get this time back. I don't think I am going to look back and wish I had more stuff but I would look back and say I wish I had more time with my kid.

Second Lactation Class

I am so very excited that I get to attend my second lactation class next week! After this class I will be a "trained breastfeeding educator"

I will then be able to teach classes etc!

I am so excited that this is my step towards becoming a lactation consultant! My first thing I will be doing is volunteering at a local pregnancy resource center for underprivileged moms to teach them!

"I just don't make enough milk"

This is going to be me on my "soapbox"

I can not fathom any mother not trying to give their child the best. Personally I think that makes you a worse mother than one that will try. Yes, it may be hard and gross you out and be inconvient but for God's sake it is your child. You are going to have to do a lot of gross and hard things over the years. That is part of being a parent. Breastmilk is a MILLION times better than formula and can protect your baby from so many diseases and actually MAKE THEM SMARTER! Why on earth would you not even try to give your baby the best? How freaking selfish are you?

I know people will chime in and say "well I just couldn't do it" " I didn't make enough milk" and the various excuses that are completely false.

It is VERY rare that a woman CAN NOT breastfeed. Breast reduction is one of the leading reasons because the milk glands have been removed and a lot of times it is true that THESE women can't nurse but 99% of the rest of the world is equipped.

People that turn to me and say "well it just wasn't as easy for me as it was for you"...PISS ME OFF.  having a baby attached to me 24/7 when I was recovering from MAJOR surgery that I could feel with no pain medicine that would work IS NOT EASY. I wouldn't send him to the nursery to rest as was suggested. I wouldn't give him "just one bottle" so I could get a break. None of this was easy but I knew that this was what I had to do to make it work. So none of it was easy and do not tell me I am "lucky" that I worked my ass off.

Those first few days are CRITICAL. You can not supplement. You simply can't. Your body needs the stimulation to set up your prolactin receptors in your brain and to set you up for milk production for the duration of your nursing. One bottle can and will throw that off. Your body and your baby's body were designed in this way. Their stomach is the size of a marble and all they need is that coating colostrum. Its what they need. They don't need a two ounce bottle of processed cows milk. This will make them full and then they will not want to nurse and your body will not continue to do what it is supposed to.

So yes, when people say "I can't make enough milk" ... they really can't...because of thier actions, not because of their physiology . Had they not given a bottle of formula the very first day their body would not have told their breasts to produce less milk beacuse the baby didn't need it. So, I am sorry if it is hard to hear. But you did it to your self. Those first couple days are horrible. HORRIBLE and it is not easy so don't anyone tell me how "lucky" I was.

I may be saying how hard it is but it is SO worth it. Even if it doesn't help you bond or you don't enjoy it. You should enjoy what it is doing for your child! You would have to be a bad mother to not.

I can not tell you how many times I have heard people say after a couple weeks "well I just didn't make enough milk" and then you look over pictures of the baby in the hospital and they always have a bottle in their mouth... really? You are right, you don't make enough milk because you told your body that you didn't have a baby because your baby was drinking from a cow!

* I know a lot of women that need to supplement when they return to work because of supply problems and that is not what I am talking about here*

People seem to be so freaking upset when this gets talked about but why would you not want the best for your baby? Why would you not want to try again? Yes formula has a place in this world but if it were not so covienent for people to use just because "breastfeeding is too hard"... maybe we could all be healthier.

It's been proven that breastfed babies grow up to be leaner, healthier adults. Perhaps if we could get breastfeeding rates close to 100% we would not be such a sick nation.


Where would you rather be?

 

 

Hypotheically

So let's say you have this super new car? And pretty much everyone you know is getting this same car. Let's say that you find some amazing information on how to make this car better. You find out how to make the car run better, look better, feel better and last longer. And best of all, the things you can do are FREE and so much easier than the way you have been taking care of the car. Not to say the way you have been taking care of the car is wrong but there is a better way to take care of it that you didn't know about fully. The way that it was supposed to be taken care of. Wouldn't you want to know about it? Wouldn't you want your friends to tell you if they had this information? I know I sure would.

WHY IS IT DIFFERENT WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR CHILD? Why do you get offended when people simply try to share information that can make your child healthier, happier and live longer?

"I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better."
— Maya Angelou

This never gets old

A Newborn's Conversation with God

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow,
but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have
to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you.
And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand
when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words
you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will
teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach
you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach
you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth
could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave
now, please tell me my angel's name."

God said, You will simply call her, "Mom."

I think a very important part of being a mother is molding the spiritual person your child will become. I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that we are in church and developing a closer relationship with God. There is something amazing about seeing your husband come to know the Lord.  

Blog layout

I am going to make this my parenting blog. I am going to start a new one with personal info so if you want that just let me know!

Magic Boobies

Goodness I learned so much I don't even know where to start! I am not sure anyone would want to hear everything I learned but I am so full of amazing information I need to put it somewhere! Poor Tim knows more about boobies than I think any man in the world. Ha.

Did you know breastmilk actually fights cancer??
Breastmilk contains a substance called a-lactalbumin which ingested to the stomach of an infant/toddler binds to oleic acid and becomes "HAMLET" Human a lactalbumin made LETHAL to tumor cells. "HAMLET" induces cell in vitro death in tumor cells, but normal cells survive.

Here is a link to pub med that talks about it some more http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7644538

The human body is simply AMAZING!

Not breastfeeding increases the risk of high cholesterol later in life. Cholesterol is in human milk but is not present in formula. One would think this is a bad thing but in fact its not! The baby's body will compensate for the lack of cholesterol in the formula and will start to make its own. This turns the system on overdrive because this is not they way they were designed to be fed. Because of the formula, later in life the body is already set up to make extra cholesterol which we all know is a very bad thing when it comes to heart disease!

We learned about how milk actually protects against the specific germs and bacteria that the mom and baby come into contact with on a day to day basis! It actually goes through the babies body and binds to specific germs and flushes them out in the GI tract about every two hours! The science behind all of this is so cool.

If breastfeeding rates just jumped 7% in the hospital we would save 3.8 BILLION dollars on treating only 3 illnesses. Ear infections, respiratory infections and diarrhea. That is simply amazing. That is not even counting everything else out there that breastfeeding protects against like obesity, leukemia, diabetes, high cholesterol etc.

We are just now beginning to find out everything there is to know about breastmilk but it is already being used in chemo patients around the world so clearly there are healing properties we have only begun to find.

I am trying to space out everything so I don't overwhelm anyone so I will continue to post on the matter for a while!


Use those boobies God gave you!

Principles of Lactation Management

I had a wonderful WONDERFUL day! I have never been so excited to learn anything as I was today. I was listening to every word from the instructors and it was awesome being around people that care about breastfeeding! I can not wait to make this my work. Right now my work is Tyler of course but one day I will have to be back to work and I am excited at the thought of helping moms or even promoting breastfeeding. My good friend Lauren works for the Lance Armstrong foundation and is always promoting healthy lifestyles and I know they would love to hear about the vast benefits of breastfeeding.

It is shocking to me that anyone would not breastfeed their children. It truly is. I understand that there are circumstances beyond control but generally people just don't try at all or don't try hard enough and I simply don't understand. I even prayed about it on the way to the class because it is simply the way our Heavenly Father designed our babies to be fed. Its simply physiology.

I can and will keep going on this topic but I am pooped today!

Extended Rear Facing in the Car

This seems to be a hotpoint for some and I really don't understand why. I understand that there are some parts of parenting that can be "this or that" but when it comes to your child's safety WHY on earth would you take a chance?

I hear it all the time from parents when we discuss this matter. I hear how the child was unhappy rear facing or uncomfortable and various other "excuses". Of course we would all love to see our children facing us in the car and look at their beautiful faces. Of course we want them to be comfortable and happy. What good parent would not want that? I know Tyler would love to be turned around and would probably throw less fits in the car but I am his mother and I have to keep him safe. In my opinion SAFE is far far above HAPPY when it comes to being a good parent.

Keeping the kids rear facing is by far the safest way for them to be in a car. To me a broken neck or back is not worth risking just to make my kid "happy".

Here are all the stats....

Even with best practice, not all injuries can be prevented. Some crashes are unsurvivable. &nbsp Still, much of best practice is based on statistics, and how to have the best chance to reduce injuries. Best practice may also be based on crash forces and physics. Both are very important regarding the use of rear facing seats.

A few factors govern the physics of crashes as they relate to children in carseats. Obviously, the faster the vehicles are going, the more energy will be in the crash. Similarly, heavier vehicles will also have more energy. Perhaps most important is the length of time passengers have to "ride-down" a crash. The longer the "ride-down", the more time your skeleton and organs have to absorb the crash energy. Longer time means less power is transferred to your body, and less chance of injury.

• Statistics. According to Crashtest.Com, frontal and frontal offset crashes combine for about 72% of severe crashes. Side impacts are about 24%. Rear and rear offset crashes only account for about 4%. The NHTSA FARS database shows similar numbers. The odds of being in a frontal crash with a fatality or very serious injury are many times greater than being in a severe rear-end crash. Rear-enders are more common at lower speeds, though most injuries in these crashes are not as severe; typically whiplash injuries to adults, especially passengers lacking proper head restraint.
  
  
• Crash Energy. Vehicle speed is very important to the energy in a crash, even more important than vehicle weight. Frontal and frontal offset crashes are the most severe because they often happen with both vehicles traveling at high speeds in opposite directions.
  
  Rear and rear offset crashes, on the other hand, often happen at lower speeds. In many cases, one vehicle is stopped or nearly stopped, and the other hits it from behind at a relatively low speed. Other times both vehicles are traveling in the same direction at similar speeds when one is bumped from behind. Either way, the difference in the speed of the vehicles is usually much lower in rear end crashes, and so the energy in the crash will also be much lower. Lower energy means less chance of injury.
  
  
• Ride-Down Time. Child Passenger Safety advocates often stress the importance of "Ride-Down Time." This term simply refers to the time it takes for a person to come to a complete stop in a crash. This is important because the total force on the passenger increases with both the weight of the person and with the speed they were traveling before the crash. On the other hand, the total force on the passenger decreases significantly as the time it takes to stop increases. While we have often have no control of the speeds involved in a crash, we can do some things to help increase the time it takes for a passenger to come to a stop. As mentioned earlier, in a frontal crash the vehicles are often traveling in opposite directions at high speeds. When they crash, both vehicles stop very suddenly, in a small fraction of a second. Even a slight increase in this stopping time can reduce the risk of injury considerably. This is perhaps the most fundamental concept in keeping passengers alive in a crash.
  
  Take the case of a child in a carseat. Ideally, you want the child coupled as tightly as possible to the harness system and carseat, and the carseat coupled as tightly as possible to the vehicle with the seatbelt or LATCH system. When you do this, the child gains all the benefit of "ride-down time" provided by the crushing frame of the vehicle in a crash. With a loose installation of any kind, the child gets less ride down time and suffers a more severe crash into the harness system. The analogy is that a tight installation is like catching an egg when you "give" backward with your hand to prevent it from breaking. A loose installation will be more like holding your arm and hand rigid when you catch the egg. The egg will splatter in your hand if you don't give, much like what happens to the internal organs of a person when they are flung into a loose seatbelt or harness. By giving with your arm, you cause the egg to slow down gradually, increasing its ride-down time. Vehicle frames, advanced seatbelts and airbags are all designed to help passengers slow down more gradually. Carseats themselves are not designed provide much ride-down time; their main functions are to prevent ejection and to allow the child to be coupled tightly to the vehicle so the frame can provide the necessary ride-down time.
  
  Fortunately, rear-end crashes allow for a lot more ride-down time than frontal crashes. We already mentioned that the potential energy in a rear-end crash is usually lower than a frontal crash because the speeds involved are slower. In addition, the two vehicles are not usually moving toward each other like they would be in a frontal crash. That often means one vehicle is allowed to "give", and the overall ride-down times for both vehicles are much greater, meaning lower forces on the passengers.
  
  
• Forces and Area. We know that frontal and frontal offset crashes are more frequent, more severe and usually have less ride-down time than rear-end crashes. In such a frontal crash, it is easy to see why a rear-facing carseat is a better choice. The entire shell of the carseat cradles the child's back, neck and head. Some seats even have foam protection in the shell to cushion the child even more. The crash forces are spread throughout the large area of the child's back and head, reducing the pressure during the crash, and keeping the head from snapping backward with respect to the body.&nbsp Unlike this rear-facing carseat, a child's legs and head are not restrained at all if they are turned front-facing. In a serious frontal crash with a front-facing carseat, the head and legs of the child are thrown forward like a rag doll, and serious forces are put on the child's spinal cord. In a front-facing carseat, only the harness couples the energy to the child's body. The smaller area of the harness means more pressure on the child. In the egg analogy, the egg is much less likely to break if it is caught using the whole padded area of your hand rather than with just a couple bony fingers.
  
  Similarly, for the uncommon rear-end crash, a front-facing carseat may be safer than a rear-facing model. Still, rear-end crashes are much less common and much less severe than frontal crashes, and it is for that reason we choose to maximize the protection for a frontal crash instead. In addition, rear-facing carseats can also provide an added degree of safety in side-impacts. Rear-facing seats will usually protect the head from being thrown outside the shell of the carseat much better than a front-facing carseat in a frontal offset or side impact. Even a minor rear-end crash can be serious for front-facing adults without proper head restraints, but this is usually not an issue for children in properly fitted carseats and boosters.
  
  
• Physiology. For the reasons listed, rear-facing not only turns out to be safer for infants, but for people of all ages. In fact, we would all be safer rear-facing in cars, airplanes, trains and elsewhere. Of course, this would not be acceptable to most adults. Fortunately, adults are somewhat better able to withstand the forces on the head and neck in a severe crash when they are front-facing. Babies have very immature bones and connective tissue, and this is especially the case when they are younger than 1 year or under 20 pounds. For that reason, front-facing babies face a particularly serious risk of spinal cord injury in a frontal crash.
  
  

When used properly, rear-facing carseats provide significant safety advantages in frontal, frontal offset and side impacts. These types of crashes are far more frequent and severe than rear-end crashes. For these reasons, rear-facing is the safest mode of travel, especially for infants. In the USA, this recommendation is valid through the 30, 33 or 35 pound maximum rear-facing weight limit of newer convertible carseats, or until the child outgrows their convertible carseat by height. The height limit of a rear-facing carseat may be listed in the owner's manual. A child is also considered too tall for a rear-facing seat if the top of their head is at the level of the top of the carseat shell. It is NOT considered a safety issue if a child's legs are bent at the knees in a rear-facing carseat, or if their feet can touch the vehicle's seat back. At a very minimum, children should remain rear-facing until AT LEAST one year of age AND 20 pounds in weight. In countries like Sweden, children are often kept rear-facing much longer, even to 3 or 4 years old. Auto related injury and death rates for rear-facing children in Sweden are near zero because of this.

This blog

This blog will be a mix of studies I find interesting regarding our parenting and my personal stuff.

The topics will consist of:

Breastfeeding including extended
Natural Childbirth
Extended Rear Facing Car seats
Herbs, homeopathic medicine
Non Cry it Out
Delayed, Non Vaccinating
Pregnancy
Trying to Conceive

I realize these are topics that not everyone sees eye to eye on but this is my blog and I will post what I want! Ha.

TTC #2

Well we are currently TTC. For those that are not in with the lingo that means Trying to Concieve. Thats right... we are trying for number 2. I know most of you already know this because 1. I don't even know if I have any followers and 2. I share all my life with everyone and their mom. Literally. :)

This seems to be trickier than last time because of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding does a few things to decrease your fertility.

• Increases prolactin which inhibits ovulation so I am ovulating VERY late.
  
• Decreases progesterone which shortens your luteal phase ( the time after ovulation) and makes it difficult for a fertilized egg to implant even if conception took place!
  
• Decreases your sexual libidio ( in some women)
  

So pretty much we have our work cut out for us! I have started acupunture so it has helped me out tremendously so far! My cycles were about 45-60 days and now they are in the 30's which is getting almost close to normal! I love my acupuncture time. It is very relaxing and I know it is doing good things for my whole body. We have technically been trying for 8 months now! We concieved in July but it was very short lived as I started bleeding the very next day after the positive test. It was hard on us but I know things happen for a reason as Tyler is no where near ready to wean or share and I would be due in two months if that were the case.

It is a pretty common misconception that you can not nurse during pregnancy or nurse two! I fully plan on responding to Tylers needs and if that means continuing to nurse him we will do it!

This month we are pulling out all the stops on our TTC journey.

• Taking Vitex to help regulate my cycles
• Tim is on Maca Root and Zinc
• Charting as usual. www.fertilityfriend.com/prettygirls
• We are planning on using raw egg whites as lubrication as instructed in "Taking charge of your fertility"
• We will have "together time" every other day starting on day 10 of my cycle until we confirm ovulation with a temperature shift
• I will be taking ovulation predictor tests starting on day 10

Now that you know more than you could ever care to about my sex life and lubrication I am out for the day.

We are doing a raw vegan detox this weekend so I will update about that as well. I also am starting my journey to become a lactation consultant and I have my first class next week!

I suck at blogging and have no idea if anyone sees this.

I will try to be better this year. I figure people know more than they would like on facebook as it is. ;)