This month Blossoming Family has a coupon in Mom magazine it is a local mom made zine and worth it to pick one up.  It is free!

Here is a link to a video about the magazine:
http://www.kmtr.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=3081054&navCatId=19833

For the most part these videos are really great.

Ohh.... the joys of breastfeeding your baby.  Once you get this thing called breastfeeding down, it can be one of your favorite times of caring for your oh-so-cute child (especially when the oxytocin starts flowing from let-down).  I believe that oxytocin is such an important part of being a fulfilled mother.  I am not saying that you only get this from breastfeeding what I am saying is that when you breastfeed you get one big motherly dose..and for many women you feel like all is right your world.  Until that is your older child slams the door and then is whining for you to wipe his or her butt.  My personal belief is that this is part of the reason some mothers did-and still do-just keep having babies. Then they get that lovely drug so strongly and it helps them feel calm and whole as a parent.   I really don't want to wean my son right now for this main reason. I know that something shifts from the relationship when the oxytocin stops flowing so strongly. Again, its not like it won't be there at all, but something shifts.  And with all the havoc that a two year old brings, especially a  male two year old, I need all the oxytocin that I can get.  Not to mention all the obvious benefits that he still gets from nursing!

Many times in my class pregnant mamas ask this question "How will I know I am in labor?" or "How do I know when to call the midwife or go to birth center/hospital".   When I was pregnant I remember thinking the same thing.  Its like having a really bad map and venturing out on a boat looking for something that no one has explained very well and that you have never seen before.  First of all with this example you can see the importance here of having a tour guide, a doula :).  But more importantly here is the fact that this experience, giving birth, is not something that happens to you or outside of you.  The birth experience is a part of you and very internal.  You cannot plan it like a trip.  But you can practice awareness of mind and body through meditation, breathing and staying calm.   Since I have starting teaching prenatal yoga and then attending some of my student's births I have noticed a huge shift in their experience.  Even though the temptation to panic is there, just like if you were in the middle of the ocean and did not know where land was, these yogis don't.  What do they do, you may wonder.  They breathe, they stay with it as if it were a beautiful asana(yoga pose).  The most important thing to remember here is that if you focus your attention throughout your pregnancy to calming the mind, breathing deeply and listening to your body you will know when the time has come to birth.  Granted many of us in labor don't wait until that inner knowing moment and we just want it to be done!  But if we surrender and ride the waves, our body will do the work and tell us when to really get to where we need to be.

I am hopeful about maternity care in this country, but I hear current birth stories and I am sad.  We need to change so much about maternity care.  I know that there are so many OBs and midwives out there serving women realizing that their birth story, their emotional health and their physical health is SO important.   So many times when I work with mamas they try to explain to me how: "this induction is going to be gentle", "my doctor says the baby is too big" "That going to 42 weeks pregnant is really dangerous and I might not have a baby to hold if I choose to wait".  Women trust their doctors and midwives so much.  They trust blindly and I hope that some day these women will stand up and realize that as Ben Harper so beautifully put it "When the people lead the leaders they will have to follow".  I was at the park the other day as a beautiful new mama told me about her doctor wanting to schedule her c-section for a breech baby 10 days before the due date, because the doctor was going on vacation.  She went home to tell her husband of the plan and he was like "what??".  So they decided to wait until the due date and guess what..The baby flipped around to head down and guess what..the mama had a vaginal birth after a c-section. 
Start asking questions mamas!  After all this is just the beginning of you having to protect that little bean in your belly, you are the mama you know best!  Check out this web page:
http://www.aimsusa.org/

Ok as soon as I got over the fact that this is a diaper advertisement, I realized it is brilliant.  I believe the first step towards becoming a great parent is to realize that we will never have all the answers that we need and that there is much to learn from our kids if we are open to it.  Then we can learn to move our bodies and minds in ways that make us feel free.

We just switched over to a new website.  Please share your thoughts if you have any about the site. 

In other news its summertime!  Which means if you are pregnant or nursing or both you really need to drink more water.  Water is the best at hydrating yourself but if it is difficult for whatever reason you can add watermelon, cucumbers, peppers, celery, carrots, lettuce, snap peas into your snacking rotation.  Not only will you giving your body what it needs you will also be more hydrated because of it.   Herbal teas are also great.  Iced hibiscus, rosehips, lemon balm and lime  yum!