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April 2001
1) Surrender to Motherhood..thoughts by Hannah Sprague Surrender Balance Spirit Hope Love
My friends who know me well have heard me say many, many times "Surrender". As a doula and childbirth educator, I know that this surrendering begins, for many women, in pregnancy.
A woman realizes she is with child, and she is never the same woman again.
At the dawn of conception we give up our right to think of our bodies as only ours.
How soon we learn that not only are our bodies now occupied with new life, but our emotions
and thoughts are consumed as well. Sometimes we become so engrossed in the external issues
pertaining to our pregnancy (testing, measuring, weighing) we forget to just sit back and
let it happen. Enjoy it. It is a precious time that can only be had once for each child.
Eat right, be joyful, listen to your intuition, talk to your baby, surrender yourself to
the needs of your baby.
The time of childbirth comes and this valuable lesson is learned once again. Mother Nature so
perfectly planned the rite of passage of motherhood. There is amazing balance, that if grasped
can change the way we look at the world. We learn that if we open up, let go, and ride the
waves of birth, not only can we survive, we might even enjoy the birth of our child.
The sweat and tears shed as a child enters into the world bring a newfound appreciation for life
that is so deep we rise up again empowered and strong. Childbirth is the awakening of ideals,
morals, ethics and love we never knew we had. These are our guideposts, our road signs built in
and waiting to be tapped into. How we travel the road is individual and as unique as our child.
We must feel safe, allowed to be vulnerable, allowed to be strong, allowed to let it happen as
it's meant to be. When we meddle with the course and impose our agenda on the natural ebb and
flow, we end up with less than desirable births. How many women and babies have their birth-rights
taken away by an impatient care provider threatening an induction or cesarean section?
There are too many women who have the rug pulled out from under them during this precious time so
vital to our growth as mothers. If there is no true medical need for intervention, where is the
empowerment in being told the body is not able to gestate and birth "properly"? A woman surrenders
not to her child's needs, but to the needs of a medical staff, and that becomes the pattern of her
parenting. Soon, the pediatrician is the only one deemed expert enough to know where baby should
sleep, when to wean, and whether or not baby is ready for solids.
Mothers often times call me with questions about parenting their infant. It is my hope that I
can help them find the strength to tune-out the parenting books and pediatricians long enough to
hear what their own voice is telling them and, most importantly, the voice of their baby.
Many times I find mothers do not want to give-in to the natural born needs of infants.
Feeding and sleeping schedules that are centered on the parents are imposed on the baby.
Slowly a battle of wills develops as the child seeks to be given only that which she knows:
unrestricted contact, access and feeding. The mother resists, perhaps not realizing that to
surrender is sweeter.
Babyhood is the honeymoon of motherhood, and the building blocks of a life-long relationship.
To slip a sweet smelling baby into a sling, and freely offer up the breast for cuddles or food
is time well spent and an investment never regretted. As mothers we exist as the entire universe
for our infants. No gadget, plaything, pacifier, schedule or person will ever change or diminish
that very real fact and need for us to be present and attune to our baby.
At birth we begin the dance of life at the tempo of our child. This is what mothering is about.
It is surrendering to the needs of another, finding balance, harmony and contentment in the knowledge
that we are nurturing and nourishing a life. Hold fast, they are only babies once and for fleeting
moments.
*Your baby should ride in a rear-facing infant seat or convertible seat until she is one year
old and weighs over 20 pounds.
*Don’t wrap your baby up before you put on the harness. Adjust the harness straps snugly,
then put on the blankets. If you put the blankets on first, the harness may not fit correctly.
Dress your baby in clothes that allow the straps to go between the legs.
*When your is child older than one year and weighs more than 20 pounds, he should ride face
forward in a convertible seat, or in a forward facing seat designed for older children.
*If your child is between 40 and 80 pounds she should sit in a belt-positioning booster seat
that uses your car's lap and shoulder belts.
*Vehicle seats and seat belts are not made to correctly secure a child car seat.
Therefore, some seat belts need a different buckle or a special locking clip to safety
secure your child’s seat. Also, some child car seats cannot be used safety in certain
seating positions. Be sure to read the manual carefully.
*If your child weighs more than 80 pounds and is at least 4'9" tall, he may be ready for an
adult safety belt. He must be tall enough to sit without slouching, feet on the floor and knees
bent at the edge of the seat. The lap belt must fit low and tight across his upper thighs, and
the shoulder belt should rest over his shoulder and across his chest.
*A rear-facing infant seat should never be placed in a seat with an air bag.
In a crash, the bag would inflate very rapidly and hit the infant seat hard enough to
seriously injure or kill the baby.
*Air bags can also be dangerous for children 12 years old and younger who ride facing
forward in the front seat.
*The safest place for all children under 12 is the back seat of the car.
Tips complied from: Car Seat Informational Sites
Car Seat Safety Tips Web Site This is the index page to a set of 14 groups of tips about car seat safety. Each section has illustrations of the points discussed and links to the other sections.
Sections include Copyright 2000 by Donna Zelzer, all rights reserved. To subscribe, send your email to nanny-join@moonlily.com
Diapering
My son is 3 months old and I am switching to cloth diapers.
I haven't received any diapers yet and I can't wait!
My son will be going to day care part time starting next month.
They allow cloth diapers only if he is wearing a cover that is not cloth.
I would like to know of really good AIO's and covers that I can use for the day care.
Also which covers are good for home? I live in Florida and it is HOT HOT HOT.
Are fleece and/or wool covers a good idea? Baby Gear
I found a stroller not too long after I started this thread and just bought it new.
It is a great stroller with adjustable handlles. Would be perfect for couples where one partner
is taller than the other. It is a KidCo. brand. Good luck to any other tall mamas!
My back hurts enough w/out bending over to push my sweet guy around.
4) The Ingredients of Vaccines
Acel-Immune Act HIB Attenuvax DPT Energix-B Havrix Biavax HibTiter Fluvirin FluShield IPOL MMR M-R-Vax Menomune Meruvax II Mumpsvax Orimune Pneumovax Imovax Rabies Vaccine Adsorbed Recombivax RotaShield Varivax Chemical Profiles and Definitions, visit
www.scorecard.org to investigate chemical profiles Ammonium Sulfate: EDF Suspected - gastrointestinal or liver toxicant
neurotoxicant respiratory toxicant
Amphotericin B: MME definintion - "a drug used to treat fungus
infections. Known allergy to this drug prohibits use. Side effects include
blood clots, blood defects, kidney problems, nausea and fever. When used on the
skin, allergic reactions can occur."Aluminum: EDF Suspected - cardiovascular or
blood toxicant neurotoxicant respiratory toxicant.
More hazardous than most chemicals in 2 out of 6 ranking systems
On at least 2 federal regulatory lists Beta-Propiolactone: EDF Recognized -
carcinogen EDF Suspected - gastrointestinal or liver toxicant respiratory
toxicant skin or sense organ toxicant More hazardous than most chemicals in
3 out of 3 ranking systems On at least 5 federal regulatory lists Ranked as
one of the most hazardous compounds (worst 10%) to humans.
Formaldehyde: EDF Recognized - carcinogen
Suspected -
gastrointestinal or liver toxicant
immunotoxicant
neurotoxicant
reproductive toxicant
respiratory toxicant
skin or sense organ toxicant
More hazardous than most chemicals in 5 out of 12 ranking systems
On at least 8 federal regulatory lists
Ranked as one of the most hazardous compounds (worst 10%) to ecosystems and
human health
Gentamicin Sulfate: an antibiotic
Hydrolyzed Gelatin: obtained from selected pieces of calf and cattle skins,
de-mineralized cattle bones (ossein)and porkskin
Neomycin: an antibiotic
Phenol : EDF Suspected - cardiovascular or blood toxicant aka Carbolic Acid
developmental toxicant gastrointestinal or liver toxicant kidney toxicant neurotoxicant
respiratory toxicant skin or sense organ toxicant.
More hazardous than most chemicals in 3 out of 10 ranking systems. On at least 8 federal regulatory lists
Phenoxyethanol: EDF Suspected - developmental toxicant
aka Antifreeze reproductive toxicant
Less hazardous than most chemicals
in 3 ranking systems
Polyribosylribitol: a component of the Hib bacterium
Polymyxin: an antibiotic
Polysorbate: EDF Suspected - skin or sense organ
toxicant
Sorbitol: EDF Suspected - gastrointestinal or
liver toxicant
Less hazardous than most
chemicals in 1 ranking system
Streptomycin: an antibiotic
Sucrose: refined sugar
Thimerosal: EDF Recognized - development toxicant
Suspected - skin or sense organ toxicant
Tri(n)butylphosphate: EDF Suspected - kidney toxicant
neurotoxicant
More hazardous than most
chemicals in 2 out of 3 ranking systems
On at least 1 federal regulatory list
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