Baby-Led Weaning

I don't use the conventional 'spoon feed' your baby at 6 mo. approach. 
With my first 4 I did.  Couldn't wait to put them on cereal and purees!  Then along came Matthew boy...
A fat, healthy, thriving on breast milk alone- baby till 10 mo!  I went to  a natural mothering group and they weren't feeding their babies solids till 12 mo.- with studies to back it up . 
Even when I worked perdiem in the Pediatric ED I would pump or Mike would bring him to me on my lunch break and Id nurse him.  He was just as fat as he could be!
With the next baby, Rachael, I attempted to spoon feed her at 6 mo...have no idea why... and she cried the whole time I tried!  So we stopped that and I did the same thing with her.  Table foods around 10 mo.  This year I read a neat book Baby-Led Weaning by Gil Rapley.  I was able to incorporate some of things I have done in the past with new ideas.  The basic premise of the book is that its best for baby to learn to feed themselves.  If they control the food and feeding they wont overeat, as a baby can being spoon fed.  So around 6- 8 mo when a baby is able to sit upright and gasp objects, he can start. You will notice your baby taking interest in the foods you eat, and wanting to grab your plate. Just because they show an interest in your food, doesnt mean they want or need you to start spoon feeding them.  He simply needs to experiment and learn how to feed himself.  No need to supplement with foods when breastmilk is all he needs. The first few months are experimenting with textures, grasping, and learning not to gag.

There is a difference between choking and gagging.  Its ok for a baby to gag as he is learning to control his eating.  After a while baby gets adept at choosing foods they need. 

To do baby led weaning you breastfeed (or bottle feed) first, then sit baby down with the family for a meal.  Either on your lap (be prepared for a mess) or chair- never reclined.  Put soft, not mushy foods near so he can grab which ones he chooses.  Meats are good in 2 in strips as baby suck nutrients out as the meat softens. Toast is better than bread, as it wont get mushy like bread.  Pita or toast with hummus is one of Elissah's faves!  You may be wondering about starting foods one at a time...but that really is related to babies under 6 mo. whose digestive system isn't ready for foods. Or if there is a family history of food allergies.  Gill's book covers those topics.  Peanut butter is one you would wait on, and honey till after a year.  At 8 1/2 mo. Elissah has tried carrots, beans, pasta, steak, chicken, pita, hummus, eggs, potatoes, french fry, chicken nugget, sweet potatoe fry, cauloflower, broccoli, brown rice, toast, rolls, strawberries, tomatoes, apples, bananas, cheese stick, and organic spinach puffs. Not in any particular order and all without teeth.  She is having a great time experimenting with her food choices and in a few months will actually eat for nutrition not for fun!

Maple Fun

I have always loved the Maple themed time of year. 
Love the maple leaves in fall and the sap and syrup in Spring.
This year we did a Maple unit study and lapbook.
I got the books from the library.
And the unit study free from www.homeschoolshare.com.
As with all unit studies, our Maple study was centered around a theme,
 but had many branches (no pun intended).
So not only did we learn about how Maple syrup was made, but we learned new vocabulary and spelling words, geography, Indian and Pioneer customs, liquid measurements, and life cycle of a Maple tree.  Plus it was fun! Gave us a break from our everyday studies, but still with lots of learning and activities.

Here are pictures of our lapbook.  Mostly done by the older boys.

One of the highlights were the maple milkshakes we made at home one night.
Sooo good! And easy as you can see from the ingredients above. Just play around with it, till you get the flavor the way you like it.
We also enjoyed the trip to the Genesee Country Village and Nature Center in Mumford, NY.
In the nature center we walked thru the timeline of maple sugaring in the woods.
Starting with present day and ending up in 1800's.

In the village we sampled old time hot cocoa, sugar on snow, and a homemade cough remedy.
I know that last one doesn't sound appealing... but it was good! Made with maple and vinegar.
We saw a candle making demonstration, learning that old time candles were made with beef fat, not wax.  Mike enjoyed the brewery the most.  (don't need to elaborate there...) But seriously the boys did ask lots of good questions to the brewer (again, no pun intended) and learned many things about chemistry in the brewing processes.

Our day at the village was complete with an 'all you can eat' pancake, Maple syrup, and sausage breakfast. For us it was lunch...

Sensory Tub

I saw a friend post pictures of her preschoolers playing in a plastic clear tote filled with water and floating penguins toys.   It was labeled a 'Sensory tub'.  Well, in all my 6 years of home school, I had never seen that! How did I miss that?? 

I didn't have a plastic tote to spare, so I used  a large black metal one.

Added anything we had on hand...rice, decorative sand, marbles, small seashells, smooth stones, sunflowers seeds (in the shell), small plastic animals, and croutons.  Have since removed the croutons as the kids wanted to keep eating them...  I don't have a picture of it, but I also gave them small tin pails to play with from our Blueberries for Sal book and activities.  So they were able to hear the different sounds of each object as the were scooped or placed into the pails.  It was great for all the senses!  As well as hand eye coordination.  Then they had the idea to get their magnifying lenses out.  I meant it for my 2 and 4 yr old, but the 6 and 8 yr old couldn't keep their hands out of it.
It kept them occupied for hours! 
My husband didnt care for it much because of the mess...so we only use it when he is isnt home:)
Sometimes the kids get too zealous and the contents end up out of the basin...  So now I put a towel down for easy cleanup.

Calories Count

Mike and I watch the biggest Loser every week.  Just like some couples watch Idol, or Bachelor, we watch Loser.  We really enjoy watching them succeed and get healthy.  Up until recently I would eat a  bowl of ice cream while watching them sweat.  For some reason that show made me hungry! 
Mike has started working out with our Wii Fit and it inspired me to do something about my 'baby fat'.
I always considered myself to be a healthy eater for the most part, so I started calorie counting.  In addition to that we joined the community center gym and track. 
Back to the calories...  I wasn't sure how much I actually was taking in, so one day I just kept a food log. I wrote down everything I ate and drank.  If I knew the calories  I would write that down.  Otherwise I would look up the item online when I had a chance.  I did it for about 3 days.  Not limiting my intake but eating as I normally would.  The results were interesting...
1700 - 1300- 1000. 
Now I had these results, I wasn't sure If they were good, bad, or ugly.  Mike thought my 1700 was too high.  So I found a neat website to plug in my foods, calories, etc... click here
Here are my results:

Results

You should consume about 1,374 calories a day to reach your goal weight of 140 lbs . This is at a reasonable weight loss average of 1 lbs per week, which should be reached by July 18, 2012.

Experts recommend weight loss at the rate of 0.5-2 lbs/week. Remember that this estimate is based on your body weight, height, age, gender, and activity level. It may vary slightly depending on other factors.

Generally, women should not consume any less than 1,200 calories per day, and men should not consume less than 1,500 calories per day. 

So I felt discouraged when I saw that...
However I went to a breastfeeding website I know and trust and found out different information there:
Studies have shown that most healthy breastfeeding women maintain an abundant milk supply while taking in 1800-2200 (or more) calories per day. Consuming less than 1500-1800 calories per day (most women should stay at the high end of this range) may put your milk supply at risk, as may a sudden drop in caloric intake.

I am now trying to eat when I'm hungry and not worrying about calories. I have also started to walk and do Zumba at the community center. 
It was very eye-opening and I would encourage you to do the same~

Common Ties

This post is about breastfeeding....So If you aren't interested or didn't breastfeed please don't be offended.
I thought Id share some things Ive learned that may be helpful to others.
I love talking about breastfeeding! Its a passion of mine~
A little background...
I currently am working on becoming board certified by putting in clinical
hours. I do rounds on the maternity floors at the local hospitals. The
lactation consultants give me a list of moms to visit. I am in the fast track
because I'm already an RN. After 1000 hours I can sit for my boards and if I
pass will be an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant. My title
now is Certified Lactation Counselor. I compare it to an LPN and RN. One is a
step up from the other but both have to work within their scope of practice.
Now for the good stuff~
1. Breast
milk provides immunity to babies for about 2 years after you stop
breastfeeding.
2. Along
those lines- the antibodies you produce in response to baby's need for them,
are transferred to baby within the next feed. Can you believe how fast that
is?? I was amazed!
3. Some
moms are diagnosed with insufficient glandular tissue, causing them to produce
less milk, but even those that produce less should try to continue to
breastfeed with supplementation- due to the benefits to mother and baby. Some
breast milk is better than none.~
4. Breast
milk decreases mom and baby’s risk of diabetes and breast cancer later in life.
5. Our
milk is cyclic, following after our mothering hormones. It has high protein
content and low volume in the evening, with low protein high volume at night.
Which may explain why breastfed babies have 'fussy time' in the evening~
6. Nighttime
feedings help babies gain weight. There is high fat content in night milk. So
even though we want sleep in the early weeks, night milk is important!
7. The
best time to pump is early morning for most women because there is still milk
left over from the high volume produced~
8. Breast
milk is the perfect food and needs no supplementation- no 'extra calories'. I
sometimes hear moms say that their doctors tell them to give formula to
'fortify' their breast milk. Breast milk needs no fortification! Alot of
doctors have not been trained in the Art of Breastfeeding:)
9. If baby
needs extra calories moms can supplement with their own pumped breast milk.
Given by feeding cup or syringe.
10.
Breast milk is 'living' and changes to meet baby's needs.
Newborn milk is high in protein where older baby milk has higher fat. For each
baby and mom it will be slightly different. Toddler milk has a huge amount of
antibodies comparable to newborn milk! Isn't that neat? Just as they are out in
the world, exploring, putting fingers in their mouth, etc... they need it don't
they?
11.In the
first 3 weeks or so, it is good idea to keep baby away from false nipples or
pacifiers. Alot of moms report that nursing was going well until some
well-meaning individual gave the baby a bottle or a pacifier in the nursery,
etc... Breastfeeding uses more facial muscles. Babies have to suck harder at
the breast. Bottles work by gravity, they are easy! So after introducing a
bottle some babies refuse breast. Bottles also promote a bad latch at breast.
Which does a baby have to open wider for? breast or bottle??
12.
If you have a 'spitty' baby it may be related to milk. It could
be reflux, but you could do your own clinical trial by eliminating milk from
your diet. See what happens for a week... Did it help or not?
13.
I don't want to bash formula, because I know some moms have to
give it for one reason or another... but I learned something recently that I
need to share~ Breast milk 'coats' the stomach and intestines. It gives our gut
a nice thick lining to protect baby from allergens and pathogens (germs). Most
of our immunity is controlled in the gut. Believe it or not! Formula actually
strips the lining of the intestines making a thin, easily permeable gut. Which
is why you hear that breastfed babies get sick less often. That in combination
with the antibody transfer protect baby.
14.
Keeping your baby skin to skin in the early days promotes good
breastfeeding! As you hold baby the mothering hormones, oxytocin and
prolaction, are released. Those hormones are responsible for making milk.
Bundling baby up keeps them asleep and away from you, thus decreasing milk
making hormone levels. Also as a baby is skin to skin they are smelling you-
the unique smell that only you have:) We secrete a substance on our areola thru
the Montgomery glands (tiny bumps on areola) that are similar to amniotic
fluid. Baby has been smelling that for a long time and it is comforting to
them. They hear your heartbeat again while on your chest, which also is
calming. Our breasts can thermoregulate (control, sense, and change temperature).
So baby wont get cold. A t-shirt and diaper with thin blanket covering both of
you is all you need! You will miss those first weeks of closeness as baby grows
and breastfeeding is more established. When breastfeeding takes a wrong turn or
gets difficult, go back to skin to skin with baby for as long as it takes to
get back on the right track!
15.
I will end this post with pumping~ If you miss a feed or are engorged, hand
expression can be your friend! I never
hand expressed myself, until this last baby.
I was engorged and getting a clogged duct, so I choose to hand express
instead of pump. It was much gentler on
my breast and worked well!! It took a
little practice to get a good rhythm down, but once I did I was able to work
the clog out, molding my fingers too the breast. We are not designed to respond to
plastic. It can difficult for some and
can actually do more harm than good in the first weeks. Pumping later for work is a separate
discussion…

Friday night meal served up Ancient-African style

We recently studied Ancient Africa in our home school. The history text gave us recipes.

So the boys picked out a few and made a meal!

Fried rice with papaya

Plantains

Banana date bars

We served it all up with chicken.

The fried rice with papaya was actually very easy and delicious!

I am going to add it to our family's menu list.

I think we over cooked the plantains...and would have been better dipped in honey.

I wasn't sure how the dates in the banana bars would go over... but they too were a hit!

(and we used gluten free flour)

I read an African book at the dinner table before everyone took off!

They now have deeper sense of the African culture and I know they can cook!

Best of all the made it themselves and were very proud of their accomplishment!

Rachael' s Homebirth- #6 in the series

If you are expecting don't read this till after you have your baby!

When we were planning for Rachael's home birth we thought

"It cant be any worse than Matthew's! If I can do that, then I can do anything!"

Little did we know how difficult it would be...

I had gestational diabetes again and

I didn't want another big baby, so at 40 weeks we got the OK from the midwife to try and induce labor, rather than be a week overdue.

As I was with my last baby Matthew.

After barely getting the Castor oil down.

I ended up spending all night, doing you know what in the bathroom.

When that stopped, so did the contractions! So that was pointless.

Five days later, labor started around sunrise.

It was a beautiful August morning~

Mike made all the calls for designated people to come pick up the children,

while I was in the backyard.

I was walking around the perimeter of the backyard in my nightgown, listening to the birds and enjoying the morning. Stopping every so often for contractions.

The warm birthing tub had been set up and ready in the living room for two weeks,

kept at the right temperature.

The midwives arrived.

Classical music was playing.

The stage was set.

Not soon after they arrived I was 10 cm. and ready to get going.

I decided to labor in the tub at that point. I had two desires:

to have a water birth and let my water break on its own

( It never broke on its own before).

I was getting frustrated because I had started pushing, but was getting nowhere.

The midwife suggested they break my water, to push more effectively.

I agreed. That's when the real stuff came, hard and fast! Some of you know what I mean...

I was proud of myself when her head came out underwater!

The end was in site! But then I started to feel this strange 'pinching'- 'kicking' sensation.

Since my eyes were closed I thought the midwives had reached their hands in the water and were doing something to me...

I asked what they were doing because it hurt. They said they weren't doing anything...

By now they knew something was wrong, and in an instant my midwife told me to get out of the tub and lay on the couch. I had never heard her speak like that before, with such seriousness. She was usually very laid back.

OK, so picture this: I have my baby's head out, and I have to climb carefully over the sides of this two and a half foot high tub and waddle to the couch...

The two midwives and Mike helped me quickly.

Next thing I know the midwife was doing maneuvers too get her out, as she was 'stuck',

and saying "We will need to resuscitate when were done".

She had turned a nice shade of purple from the chest up.

They didn't have to resuscitate long, she started to breath while lying on my stomach.

I have no idea what her apgar scores were...I don't want to know...

Normally I nurse my babies right away,

but this time I had a wait a bit till her breathing was more established.

She was 9.2 lbs. And I pushed for about 2 hours total.

She was born some time around 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

The midwife wasn't sure If they should call it Shoulder Dystocia or Abdominal Dystocia.

But she was 'stuck' and cutting off her oxygen supply with a compressed umbilical cord in the canal. Mike and I took a 'moment' to lament as we said that would be our last baby because they kept bigger and harder to get out.

Apparently that wasnt the case...