HypnoBirthing…we’ll be giving it a go
Due to a series of events causing anxiety, fear and confusion in a person who feels all of those very easily … we will be giving HypnoBirthing a go for our second baby.
I’ve been reading many books as you all know, on parenting, but have really only just started reading on birth.
I’ve started with the Sears “Birth Book” which is great and I’ve been reading and re-reading the section on VBAC’s as well as visiting The Human Pacifier who often has really great for inspiration with videos there…most of the time I end up crying over.
I’ve had a few others from my Midwife which I’ve read as well.
Over the past year and a bit I’ve been using Meditainment and have found it very useful in calming me down or getting me to sleep, so I feel that HypnoBirthing will probably do the same for me. (I’m just really sad that Meditainment does not have a Birthing section…oh well)
Add a comment January 9, 2009
Not just western babywearing
Click to see this lovely link Regin Sling
I remember when I was little traveling with my parents around Thailand seeing all sorts of ways to carry your baby…but not somthing like this…time must of moved on 
See this blog Magic City Slingers for some extra links on baby wearing which is where I learnt about Regin…thank you
Add a comment January 8, 2009
History of breastfeeding
I found this article PDF interesting with the history as well as the different cultures view points of breastfeeding.
In reading the book Baby Matters I understand a little more of my own culture I see how we are influenced by marketing from Formula company’s as well as our culture becoming more needful of our perceived ‘own time’.
What is in the PDF
When should weaning from Mother’s milk occur?
When are we naturally intended to begin weaning?
When is our natural final weaning?
How have humans weaned through the millennia?
What do the “experts” say?
What does the research show?
If we read this quote from the World Health Organisation site
“….Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants; it is also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers. As a global public health recommendation, infants should be exclusively breastfed(1) for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health(2). Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond. Exclusive breastfeeding from birth is possible except for a few medical conditions, and unrestricted exclusive breastfeeding results in ample milk production….”
I found both the book and the PDF very interesting as well as the recommendation’s from the World Health Organisation…which I would also like to note that the WHO writes for everyone and the last bit of the quote is written for our western culture which is affected by the ‘lack of milk’ syndrome.
Add a comment January 7, 2009
The Facts About Baby’s Brain
This is information is very similar to the Brainwave trust information which I’ve lost but am trying to find again…its telling us how important our attachment is to our children from birth and how this attachment affects our children’s life….click here to pop over to the site and read the full artical
“…Windows of Development
Because the different systems in the brain develop at different times, specific parts of a child’s brain must be stimulated within a specific span of time in order to develop normally. If the crucial environmental cues are not present during these periods, the parts of the brain that regulate those functions may not develop appropriately.
The window of opportunity for vision, for example, takes place from birth to about six months. Children who are deprived of visual stimulation during this time will not develop the necessary neural connections, and may end up visually impaired.
For speech and vocabulary development, the critical window is open between birth and 3 years of age. The sounds a child hears in those years will largely determine the size of his/her adult vocabulary. In addition, children who are not spoken to regularly early in life do not learn to think conceptually as well as those who are exposed to a lot of spoken language.
A great deal of emotional development takes place during a child’s first 18 months. Infants need loving care from a consistent caregiver. There is no substitute for a nurturing environment. Without it, a child will not attain emotional stability.
Between the ages of 1 and 4, children develop the capacity to understand logic and mathematical concepts. There is also a great deal of evidence suggesting that experience with music at an early age may enhance a child’s mathematical ability. Children whose math and logic capabilities are not exercised during this stage may have more difficulty learning those skills throughout life….”
Please also see the interview with Megan Gunner on the affects of cortisol to the brain and its development.
Add a comment May 30, 2008
Would Letting Him Cry Solve the Problems?
“…If a day or two of letting a child cry to sleep would solve all problems, there is no way that the previously quoted percentages would be so high (they are in the book on the other page). In addition, if those who tried it found immediate, simple success, it would be impossible for word not to spread quickly around the world. The truth is that even though cry-it-out advocates try to tell you that it’s a quick fix, it often takes weeks or even months of very intense crying (and very little sleeping) for a child to finally succumb and start sleeping better, only to relapse after teething, illness, vacations, schedule changes, and growth spurts. So to imply that “a few nights of crying” would solve everything is naive and unrealistic….’
This is from one of my new books…Elizabeth Pantley. I’ve been getting new books in the subject of parenting for over a year now. Dave and I were just discussing how far we have come and how educated we are now to what we were before.
We don’t need this book as Ara is sleeping just fine but I’ve become a bit of a “sleep helper” and in my search for help/ideas it seems that information has become very slim as children become older…so the book the “No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers” is just great.
Add a comment May 17, 2008
Calming the Cry of Colic
An interesting look into colic…this is something I would like to read more into as I feel that Ara had Colic…so educate educate rather than use the chines whispers of what others might feel works for them.
“…Ultimately, science doesn’t know much about colic, but there are many gimmicky “colic cure” sale pitches to make your wallet burst into more tears than your child. Nevertheless, there are a number of contributing factors that if remedied may improve the situation. These issues may or may not be directly involved in the cause of colic, but they are all things that should be evaluated by every parent. It all fits into the realm of learning about your unique bundle of joy and encouraging his or her best possible health…” click to visit site for more
Add a comment May 16, 2008
Experts destroy unity in parenting
A century of experts has destroyed unity on parenting
“…Poor modern-day parents. No wonder so many are confused and defensive about their child-rearing skills. At this point hardly any universally reliable, useful advice still persists on the parenting landscape. To whom can you turn for good counsel?…”
This is a really good article which sums up many issues I have over the historical ideas of raising children.
Add a comment April 30, 2008
What to do at home
This is something I’ve often worried about…that I should be doing more.
We do drawing, play dough, cooking, washing, cleaning but what about more
Have a look at this web site for some ideas
1 comment March 30, 2008
Outcast Parents hiding and alone
“…If you practice a more ‘natural’ style of parenting, whether through conviction or by way of exploration, you could encounter considerable resistance. At a time of life that should be about community support and shared joy; for many who try to parent differently it is a time of excommunication and ostracism. It can be astounding what a passionately hostile reaction ‘natural’ mothering can evoke in some onlookers. The result appears to be a sub-culture of outcastswho are hiding and alone. There is significant social and professional pressure to conform, to not exceed the limits of nurturance that our community feels comfortable with. This has led many ‘natural’ parents to cloak themselves in secrecy….”
Who feels like this?
I know I do many times…but its getting better as Ara is getting older and the Attachment Parenting methods seem to be bringing everything and more…. an independent, brave, questioning, caring child and a heap more.
1 comment March 27, 2008
Weaning: What does it mean?
This has also been somthing on my mind
“… Weaning is not a negative term, nor is it something that you do to a child. Weaning is a journey from one relationship to another. The Hebrew word for wean is gamal, meaning “to ripen.” In ancient times, when children were breastfed until two or three years of age, it was a joyous occasion when a child weaned. It meant the child was filled with the basic tools of the earlier stages of development and secure and ready to enter the next stage of development. A child who is weaned before his time may show anger, aggression, habitual tantrum-like behavior, anxious attachment to caregivers, and an inability to form deep and intimate relationships. We call these traits diseases of premature weaning….”
I’ve also been reading a bit in other blogs as friends are waiting for their next baby and still breastfeeding…and hoping that they will still be breastfeeding two…to keep that bond going.
Add a comment March 12, 2008
