Reading to Babies

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We've all heard that reading out loud to babies and children is good for them. I remember my dad reading to me every night before bed when I was growing up--he'd even take whatever book we were reading with him on business trips and read to me over the phone if he couldn't be there in person. My mom would read to me, too. They had different styles of reading and different tastes in books. Reading was a huge part of my childhood, and I believe reading has had a huge impact on who I am. So, naturally, I wanted to be able to give that same experience to my children. I decided to start right away with Baby Boy. Being that he's just a month old, I figure that it doesn't really matter what I'm reading to him as long as I'm reading him something.

The first thing I read aloud to Baby Boy was this scientific paper. As soon as we finished that, I started reading him one of my favorites:

Harry Potter was something my dad read to me and we both loved. I'm sure this will not be the last time I read it to Baby Boy. 

What are your favorite books for kiddos?

The science of cosleeping

When Hubby and I were getting ready for Baby Boy's arrival, we built the crib in our room so he would be close for night feedings and such. Once we got him home, I realized that even getting out of bed to get the baby to feed him and put him back in the crib after was too much effort to be going through every hour or two all night. I wasn't planning on cosleeping; it just happened. 

Like most moms in the US, I'd heard about how dangerous cosleeping is for babies. But that wasn't enough for me. I wanted to know the science behind this blanket statement that I should never fall asleep with baby. Lucky for me, I found a really interesting paper that summarized current research on just that topic. And what it said wasn't at all what I expected. (The whole article, Mother-Infant Cosleeping, Breastfeeding and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: What Biological Anthropology Has Discovered About Normal Infant Sleep and Pediatric Sleep Medicine by J.J. McKenna, H.L. Ball, and L.T. Gettler (2007) can be found here). If 24 pages from an anthropology journal is more than you'd care to read, here are some highlights:

Our (Western) society has an abnormal reliance on "expert advice" that leads people, in this case parents, to trust the advice of others above their own instincts. Research has shown that the rate of SIDS is much lower in cultures where moms and babies typically breastfeed and cosleep. 

A baby's whole world revolves around mom, specifically her ability to nourish him by providing breastmilk. There is a direct relationship between cosleeping and breastfeeding, specifically cosleeping moms and babies do more breastfeeding.

Separating mom and baby for sleep is more about our cultural desire for babies to become independent than what is best for baby. However, one study showed that children who sleep with their parents are less demanding of their parents' attention (read: more independent) while playing than children who don't.

Studies in other primates have shown that separating babies from their moms leads to all sorts of physical and emotional problems.

"Many researchers believe that arousal deficiency--the inability of an infant to arouse and breathe following an otherwise 'normal' breathing pause or apnea--may play an important role in SIDS." Moms and babies who cosleep are more sensitive to each other waking up and tend to experience less deep sleep, which is the stage of sleep when babies are most likely to have a pause in breathing. Being near mom's breathing may help stimulate baby's breathing and help prevent SIDS.

Even though, like me, most new moms don't plan on cosleeping, 70% of new parents do it at least occasionally. There are lots of reasons for cosleeping: it makes breastfeeding easier, it's enjoyable to spend time close to baby, it's comforting to keep baby close to keep an eye on his health and safety, it's easier to calm baby when he's fussy, etc. What's your favorite reason?

Dear America,

I've been trying to stay out of this and let you make up your own mind. You're a grown-up, after all, and entitled to your own opinions. 

But seriously: what the fuck were you thinking?

If you really wanted to play the rebellious teenager, couldn't you have thought about that during the primaries and made it official with Bernie? 

As one of my friends says, "you're entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts." Regardless of your opinions about the other candidate, the fact is that you've just selected someone to lead the free world who has been endorsed by Russia, North Korea, and the KKK. 

Don't get me wrong: I'm not mad. What I am is disappointed. I thought you were better than that--than dictatorships, racism, and hatred. I am disappointed that I will have to teach my son to be better than the nation we live in, because our family is not a dictatorship but I will not have our home filled with racism or hatred. I am disappointed that there are so many people in this great nation who don't see that this is a great nation.

And yet, we will go on. In time, I will teach my son to rise above adversity and to be a good person. But first, I will try to live every day to be the change I wish to see in the world. Which means doing more. Living more, loving more, adventuring more. Trying more new things, and most likely failing more as a result. Keeping my sense of humor. And changing lots of poopy diapers.

Baby's First Week

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I'm not going to say that I have this whole Mom thing figured out. After all, I've literally been doing it for a week. But I've already found several things that have helped tremendously. 

Nursing bras. I've been wearing ones like these pretty much 24/7. They're super comfy, unfortunately they have zero support. So when your milk machines are engorged, they're all freaking over the place. Not a problem if you're hanging out at home, but I would suggest something more like a sports bra for excursions. 

Nipple cream. I legit have bruised nips. Just because babies don't have teeth, doesn't mean they can't bite you. I have no idea what this stuff is or why it works, but I seriously don't care. It's super awesome. Stock up. 

Prepared food. A few weeks before Baby Boy's arrival, I made some freezer meals. We've already run through most of the fully cooked stuff, but we also have a bunch of stuff that's halfway prepped. At this point, the less effort I have to use to feed myself, the better. 

Newborn diapers. Even if you want to use cloth diapers (we do), they have a minimum weight suggestion of 8 pounds, so it's going to take awhile for most babies to grow into them. They're cheaper online and you will use LOTS of them unless you want baby stewing in his own pee. 

Receiving blankets. So far, Baby Boy has only worn clothes twice. Once coming home from the hospital and once when we went to his first doctor's appointment. Otherwise, he's swaddled in a receiving blanket (we definitely didn't steal any from the hospital... maybe) and enjoying lots of skin to skin time. The ones from Carter's aren't the cheapest, but they're very soft flannel and bigger than some other brands.

Helpful hubby. Hubby has been great. He's been taking initiative on things like laundry, cooking (microwaving totally counts, at least right now), doing dishes, and reminding me to sleep when the baby sleeps. He's also good at diaper changes and other baby stuff. Even though he can't directly help with breastfeeding, he brings snacks and water while Baby Boy and I are having boobie time. If Hubby isn't available, try to find someone who loves you, doesn't add any stress to your life, and cleans--key here is that you have to be comfortable with them seeing you topless. Baby's first week is pretty much all about boobies (if you're breastfeeding). 

Patience. You're not going to instinctively know everything about your baby right away. There will be times when your baby seems to be crying for no reason. Make sure his needs are being met (clean diaper, not too hot, not too cold, not hungry), then try rocking, walking, swaying, singing, dancing, etc. You'll get through it. 

Feeling Ready For Baby

Today, we had our 38 week prenatal appointment. Even though, based on our ultrasound yesterday, we're way closer to 39 weeks than 38. Either way, little man could make his appearance any day now. And I'm ready. I don't mean I'm ready because our hospital bag is packed (it is) or because the car seat is installed (it is), or even because I'm so excited to meet this tiny person who's going to depend on hubby and me for the next 18+ years (I am). 

At this exact moment, I'm ready to be able to say that my body is MINE again. At least partially. I'm ready to stop having acid reflux 24/7. I'm ready to stop getting kicked in the ribs at all hours. I'm ready to eat whatever I want. I'm ready to walk like a normal person instead of a duck. I'm ready to wear whatever shoes I want to, not whatever shoes don't require my hands to come into contact with my feet. I'm ready to not be congested and uncomfortable all the time. I'm ready to feel like me.

What part of returning to non-pregnancy were (or are) you most ready for?

On Pause

My hubby and I were hoping to have the keys to our new home in hand by now. Unfortunately, escrow is a long and painful process. And apparently homeowners insurance companies don't like dogs. But that's a rant for a different day. Today, I choose to be positive. Since I can't exactly move forward myself, I'd like to share some resources so that you can move forward yourselves.

If you feel like you need a little inspiration for change, take this quiz:

http://myfootprint.org

I find that National Geographic photos can be some of the most inspiring things of all, and they have a great collection of urban farming photos here: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/urban-farming/

If you want to see what some others have accomplished through indoor farming, check out these links:

Hydroponics: http://www.terraspheresystems.com/index.php/news-media/19-news-news/41-urban-farming-20-no-soil-no-sun

Vertical Farming: http://inhabitat.com/the-worlds-first-commercial-vertical-farm-opens-in-singapore/

Creative ways and places to farm at home: http://foodtank.com/news/2014/02/beantown-farming-10-urban-agriculture-projects-in-boston

A small-business success story: http://www.urban-acres-farm.com

Here is a great site for tips on getting started:

http://anr.ext.wvu.edu/lawn_garden/gardening-101/vegetable-gardening/indoor-vegetable-gardening

Happy farming!

Why Garden?

There are many reasons to garden, and many reasons to garden indoors. Of the multitude of reasons that various people choose to garden, there are several that make the most sense to me. Allow me to explain:

Gardening is good for your health. Simply interacting with plants has been shown to have a positive effect on a person’s physical wellbeing (1). I know I feel better when I’m enjoying plants, nature, or the outdoors: that’s one of the reasons my hubby and I are moving to the mountains. It’s incredibly relaxing.

Eating fresh foods is good for your health. Fruits and veggies are most nutritious as soon as they’re picked (2). They also taste better that way.

Eating fresh foods is good for the environment. The farming methods through which we usually get our food use about 10 calories of Earth energy to produce 1 calorie of energy that we’re eating (3). If we grow even a little bit of food for ourselves, we can use more sustainable growing practices than the so-called “factory farms” (3). Growing practices like organic farming (most fertilizers are made from petroleum products… yuck!), indoor farming (which can make foods available year-round that would otherwise be either unavailable or, more likely, shipped from thousands of miles away (4)), and composting the inedible parts of plants (which can then be used as an organic fertilizer—cue singing “Circle of Life”).

Since my hubby and I are moving to the mountains (where the last time it snowed was April 1… seriously), I can’t grow as many things outdoors as I would probably like to. I don’t want to let a little thing like snow get in the way of making us more self-reliant, so I have to figure out ways we can grow food indoors. Like the things I mentioned in my last post: using indoor lighting can trick plants into thinking days are longer, which can mean more produce (5), and growing without soil can reduce water use by 70% (6).

I don’t want this adventure to just be about me (and my +1); I’d like it to be inspirational for everyone. Just because you don’t have an “outdoors” doesn’t mean you can’t grow your own food. Remember: every little bit helps. Even growing enough veggies for one meal means that that meal won’t be reliant on fertilizers and pesticides that are damaging to the environment. I would encourage you to start small: one tomato plant or herb garden in a windowsill is enough to plant the seeds of change. Or you can jump in with both feet, like I am. We can go through it together. It won’t always be easy; if it was, everyone would be doing it, right? But if we lead by example, one step at a time, we can make a change that’s bigger than ourselves. If we work together, if we become self-reliant, we can create a better tomorrow and a healthier world for everyone.