Love the idea of a home birth but not sure you’re that brave? Want the security of a hospital without the pressure? Try delivering in a birth center!
When you are expecting your first child, there are so many decisions to make about the kind of birth experience you want: Who do you want with you? Do you need a birth coach? Do you want an epidural? Would you consider a water birth? And the list of questions lengthens with each pregnancy book or website you obsessively read.
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When it comes to breastfeeding, I’m a “been there done that” kind of mama. My first baby had hip dysplasia and cried non-stop for the first year of her life, this did not make learning how to breastfeed any easier. My second baby was sensitive to dairy products when I ate them, so-long ice cream. And my third child was, well, a third child. Any time I would go to nurse him he had two other siblings trying to share the same lap.
And yet I nursed all three of them until they were over a year old. It’s been precious, it’s been hard, but it’s been so worth it.
I’m certainly no expert or doctor (even medical TV shows gross me out) but here are my top 10 breast-feeding tips from a mama who has “been there done that.”
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I have decided to dedicate March as Pregnancy, Maternity, Birth Story, and Newborn baby post month. Help Make March Amazing by submitting your guest post. Not a blogger that is okay! I am looking for a variety of articles to be posted on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays!
March 15-30 will kickoff Pregnant Blogger Giveaway event with some really awesome MEGA Gift Bundles for the Pregnant Mommy as well as Mommy of Newborn! We have some great sponsors so far: Preggers, Bumble Bum Booster Seat, Daddy Scrubs, Milk Nursingwear, Family Bedrock, Isabella Grace Jewelry, Mod Mum, Momzelle, Natural Living Mamma, Paci-Catchers, Pink Blush Maternity, Snooze Shade USA, THinc. Baby Balm and a few more surprises along the way! If you stop by one of the Pregnant Blogger Sponsors please let them know Something2Offer from the Pregnant Bloggers Giveaway Event sent you! This shows them we are already promoting their wonderful products!
Birth Center Birth Story- how you decided? What you did to pack and prepare? What you would do differently next time? any complications?
Birth Story with Midwife or Doula- How did you decide to use a Midwife or Doula? What preparations were taken ahead of time? What advice do you give when selecting a birth support person?
Planned HOME Birth- how you decided? What you did to pack and prepare? What you would do differently next time? any complications?
Planned C-Section Story-how you decided? What you did to pack and prepare? What you would do differently next time? any complications?
Surprise Delivery- gotta be a birth story where you went into labor and possible gave birth to twins and did not know you were having twins or some other crazy birth story.
Emergency C-Section- When did you know you had to have one? How did you and hubby prepare? How was your patient care and after care? How was boding with your baby?
Encouragement to Breastfeed- ways you prepared, research you did, support you found or did not find. How long you breastfeed? Did you pump at all? etc.
Homemade Baby Items/Products- simple DIY post about things you made for your baby. Can include tutorial or links back to your site describing the details of how to make those items.
Homemade BabyFood- what you did to prepare? Did you grow your own food? What type of processor did you use? Did you freeze or can the food ahead?
DIY Maternity and Pregnancy items- anything you can think of that you can make instead of buy. How you decided to make what you did? How much you saved in DIY vs. bought? Where did you go to find your info?
If you feel you have a story to tell or a post to write please contact me via email thaleia.maher@something2offer.comgmail.com!
Help Something 2 Offer MAKE MARCH AMAZING!
Since I have not made an official announcement but hinted here and there: BABY #4 is on it’s way! Yes, a very good surprise even through all the “all-day” sickness (since it’s not just in the am:) The kids are very excited and Lil’ Red cannot wait to love and hold the new baby!
A wonderful blogger friend of mine, Christie Hill and hubby just found out that they are the chosen adoptive parents of a little girl to be born April 6! This is wonderful news as adopting a 2nd time wasn’t 100% their plans but God’s plan for their family. They have one precious little girl through adoption already.
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DINOSAURS IN THE SINK…
(And other things this Mommy is grateful for)
By Rebecca “Franticmommy” Flansburg
Something happens to us humans when we become parents. Mommy’s especially.
Our world becomes narrow and completely focused on our squirmy pink bundles of joy. Not that we mind. It’s just a wonderful part of parenthood.
It doesn’t change much as they grow either. Everything they do is exquisite, monumental, and absolutely the coolest thing we’ve ever seen. As parents, we have so many things to be grateful for, but sometimes it’s hard to remember that when your 2-year old defies keeping her clothes on, and your five-year old mouths off for the 567th time that day.
Is it all butterflies and rainbows? Heck NO. But as parents you take the good with the bad and always remember that parenthood may be the hardest work you ever do, but it is for sure the most rewarding.
So when things get a little hairy in my house, these are the thoughts/moments I try to focus on. These are just a few of the things I am grateful for:
1. The honor of frantically racking my brain at 5 a.m., trying to think of something we have in the house that starts with “Q” that our daughter can take to show-n-tell that day.
2. The car seat seatbelt strap that never seems loose enough, and has enough twists in it to double as phone cord, and that makes me mutter under my breath? I am thankful I at least I have a kid to put in that car seat.
3. On the nights when my Little People are restless or sick, I remind myself that no one ever died from lack of sleep and I would gladly go without sleep for the rest of my life as long as I never have to feel the empty ache of childlessness again.
4. As I face-plant on the living room floor in the middle of the night, I remind myself how empty my house would be without that plastic Lego piece I just busted my foot on.
5. As we rewind Scooby Doo Safari for the 6th time, I remind myself there is nothing good on TV anyway, and these days of snuggling on the couch with the kids while watching a talking cartoon dog will too soon be gone.
6. As my seven-year old hangs on me, whines and basically becomes my third leg, I try to remember that, though she wants and NEEDS my attention me now, there will come a day when she will be “too cool” to hang with Mom and Dad.
7. Though part of me silently groans at the price of kids jeans, I am just grateful I have little butts to put in them.
8. Although there are times we get might sick of getting “notes from the teacher,” our hearts always burst with pride as we relish the school-made art projects and tissue paper snowmen.
9. Every time I take one of my children to the Doctor, only to be told; “it’s only a virus. It just needs to run its course,” I feel a moment of irritation, only to be replaced by a silent “THANK YOU” that it isn’t a diagnosis that involves a specialist, biopsy, or surgeon.
Not to get all ooshey-goshey on you, but in light of what happened in Newtown, CT, I think we all should/could take a step back and look at our rugrats with new appreciation. Kids are magical little people and should be the center of our world, not living on the outskirts of it.
Live, laugh, Love.
Bio: Hardcore Mommy Blogger, WAHM, & Virtual Assistant. Being a mom is The.Best.Thing.Ever & Team Family is #1.
I love social media, naps,and anything with cheese on it. Rebecca is a veteran blogger who writes for 5 blogs as well as 3 of her own. Rebecca’s main blog is www.franticmommy.com where she share the trials of and tribulations of parenthood with a healthy dose of humor. You can contact Rebecca at rebeccaflansburg@something2offer.comgmail.com.
