Gentle Birth World Congress in Portland, OR

Gentle Birth World Congress in Portland, OR 1You are invited.........To the Gentle Birth World Congress.

From the Gentle Birth World Congress website: "The Congress participants are obstetricians, midwives, nurses, childbirth educators, lactation experts, alternative health providers, risk managers, lawyers, hospital administrators, healthcare executives, birth advocates, parents and more."

Some of the questions that will be discussed:
1. Do current care practices help or hinder?
2. What do moms and babies really want?
3. Can hospitals create special low-risk birth centers?
4. Have we forgotten the baby?

I could talk about birth for hours and hours (and often do).

Here is my answer to question #2:
A. Comfortable and clean surroundings with lots of available birthing tools (birthing ball, rocking chair, stool, ice chips, sour candies, relaxing music, candles, tub, heating pads, etc.)
B. Supportive, compassionate, and solution-focused caregivers who are present for most or all of the labor.
C. Less medicinal approach and more freedom to labor without IV's, stirrups, hospital beds, epidurals, etc.

Portland Moms...wish I could be there to join the discussion.

Anything to Make Nursing More Comfortable and Discreet in Public... 2is worth a shot in my book.

And I'd LOVE to try out one of these Bebe au Lait nursing covers. So stylish. So functional.

Have you tried these covers? If so, post your review here!

Oh, and head on over to Mom Views for your chance to win one!

Mom Blog Spotlight: 5 Minutes for Mom 35 Minutes for Mom is fast becoming one of my all-time-favorite "mom blogs." Susan and Janice, the twin work-at-home moms who run the site, offer fresh insights, awesome product reviews, and very cool prizes (right now, they're giving away the new HP Photosmart Compact Photo Printer...).

Check out their site. It's bound to end up on your blog roll sooner or later.

Pretty Nursing Bras, Please! 4Yesterday my friend Germaine and I were lamenting the woes of nursing bra shopping.

Typical nursing bra shopping experience:
1. Enter maternity store.
2. Look through bras.
3. Color choices: antique white and beige (if you're very lucky, there MIGHT be black)
4. Style choices: None
5. Decide on one of two ugly options.
6. Look for your size.
7. All of the bras are too small.
8. Leave store empty-handed.

We decided that we need more options. We want pretty nursing bras...reds and pinks and blues and polka dots and sparkles, maybe even a little lace. And we want matching nursing bra and panty sets.

We're tired of wearing ugly undergarments. We want functional and fashionable (not either/or).

Here's our newest mantra: "No more pasty panties and blah bras!"

(Photo from: Condessa)

Mommy & Me Retreat @ Beaches Resort 5Kiwi Magazine is currently advertising a Mommy & Me Retreat at the Beaches Boscobel Resort in Jamaica. I LOVE that the vacation includes baby because many mommies (like me) don't like to leave their little ones behind - and it's great that Beaches is catering to the mama who wants to bring baby along!

That said, the website is scanty on the details...has anyone attended one of these retreats?

The Mathematical Equation that Will Help Baby Sleep Better 6Sleep is a hot commodity for new parents.

I remember those first few weeks after birth - the wonder, the magic, the breathlessness, the fullness of joy - and the sleeplessness. People had warned me that I would be tired. But tired wasn't the right word to describe it. Even "exhausted" couldn't really cut it.

Then, I got better at math: sleeping baby = happy parents. You don't have to be a brilliant mathematician to figure that one out. Yet too many people are quick to judge the sleep habits of other people's babies...

Here's what I say. As long as you're following safety precautions, follow your heart and ban the nay-sayers. Crib. Bassinet. Co-sleeper. Family bed. Mattress on the floor. 7:00 bedtime. 9:30 bedtime. Bath before bed. Book before bed. Boob before bed.

Take a deep relaxing sigh of relief. No matter what that snobby lady told you at church or the know-at-all told you at work, the mathematical equation still applies: sleeping baby = happy parents.

Do what works for you and don't worry about it.

ZZZzzz...

(Pictured: Arm's Reach Stratford Cosleeper)

A Peek into the Life of a Stay-At-Home-DAD 7Mike is a 21-year-old stay-at-home-dad that blogs at Stay at Home Dad, Geek Style. Here's what he says about his blog's purpose, "This is my personal blog about my efforts to do my part in raising a beautiful little girl, despite being a little bit too young, far too geeky, and way too selfish."

There aren't many stay-at-home-dads that publicly and proudly discuss their decision to stay home so it's refreshing to read about a dad who does both. That quality alone sets this blog apart. Mike definitely has found a niche market.

That said, I'm excited to see the "big changes" that are coming to DevDad because the current design/layout is not as exciting or as a attractive as it could be. I'd also like to see more "newsy" items (product reviews, website spotlights, links to news reports, etc.)...

Oh, and contests are always fun. Psst...did you hear that Mike is giving away a Canon PowerShot SD 750 digital camera? Shhh...I don't want too many people to find out. :)

Coo-Coo for Contests: Win a nursing cover, scrapbook supplies, or a meal-planning subscription 8In need of new baby gear, but can't spare the cash? Try entering one of these fabulous contests...

Win a Slurp & Burp Nursing Cover at Mom4Life. I'd love to try this out for baby #2.

Win a one-year subscription to Menu Planning Central. Check it out at here. Anything that makes meal planning easy is worth a try in my book!

Win a box of scrapbook goodies from k8. I'm "wild" about scrapbooking and right in the middle of creating an album for my baby's 1st year so I have my fingers crossed.

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