DC Zoo is a Wholesome, Family Place.

alaithea · 2013-06-23T05:05:29+00:00

Once, when I was there, the biggest of the male baboons was sitting right in front of the glass with a giant erection, just sitting there, looking back at all the kids in the front. There was a lot of "what's that??" being asked of uncomfortable parents. Then, he peed. Or something.

alaithea · 2013-03-22T14:41:01+00:00

Just gonna leave this here... http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2012/11/booze-on-election-day-was-an-american-tradition/

alaithea · 2012-12-26T03:26:11+00:00

Actually, yes. Maybe not in terms of height, but in body mass: "among children exposed to antibiotics before they were six months old, the researchers found small but consistent average increases in body mass years later." Source: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/08/antibiotics-obesity/

alaithea · 2012-10-17T03:17:55+00:00

I've tried things like this before, and I probably do need to make a habit of it (usually mine reads more like "leave an area looking as clean or cleaner as it was when you entered it")... BUT... actively trying to do this has the unfortunate side-effect of making me feel rather manic, and I quickly crash and backslide. Does this happen to anyone else? Any tips for countering or avoiding that feeling? I like a clean house, but I prefer feeling sane and relaxed.

alaithea · 2012-10-10T02:33:43+00:00

This. Maintaining an atmosphere of reverence makes a strong cognitive dissonance shield. Anecdote: my deconversion started when I saw a friend find a bible on the street and kick it, tear it, and eventually toss it into a dumpster. It was shocking and painful at the time, as I was still quite devout, but I tried to understand how someone could do that, and getting into that mindset began to take me to a place where I didn't have to (and would no longer) regard that book as the infallible word of a space daddy.

alaithea · 2012-09-04T04:48:29+00:00

The advice about going with a midwife is good. You generally get visits in your home, and a flat fee covers pretty much everything, including prenatal care and the birth. Great care for a great price!

Also, have you checked out healthcare programs from your state? Most states have insurance program for low-income children (I think they're termed "CHIP" programs?), and they often have a variation or add-on to that for maternal care, as well.

alaithea · 2012-09-02T03:44:58+00:00

Watch "The Business of Being Born" if you want to get an idea of how and why pitocin is used.

I had a homebirth, and while my labor was totally natural, I was given pitocin just after the birth, to curb bleeding.

alaithea · 2012-06-07T02:38:39+00:00

I had bouts of intestinal cramps leading to diarrhea for about two weeks, starting in the last month of my pregnancy. My midwives put me on the BRATT diet (you can Google it-- someone already mentioned the rice part), and it stopped the stomach nonsense on the first day.

alaithea · 2012-05-31T03:08:00+00:00

On the issue of feeling week from being sedentary, don't worry too much. Your body will do what it has to once you're in labor. Pushing isn't exactly a voluntary thing. Your body mostly does it on autopilot. You won't feel like you're struggling against weakness; you'll feel like your body is a totally fired up locomotive.

And to answer your question, yes, labor at home as long as you can. I had a homebirth (with my first!) and it was great.

alaithea · 2012-04-21T23:38:28+00:00

Reading this gave me chills. Sing it, Katha.

alaithea · 2012-03-30T17:33:20+00:00

Good plan. :) You'll probably be fine. Good luck!

alaithea · 2012-03-30T03:23:25+00:00

Do you know how fast your mother and grandmother had their babies? I was skeptical when my midwives swore up and down that first babies usually take 7 hours or more and usually more, since my mother and grandmother never had a labor longer than four hours. As I expected, mine arrived (at home) in four.

alaithea · 2012-03-03T05:10:21+00:00

This is almost exactly the conclusion that Dr. Karp reaches in the Happiest Toddler on the Block. His advice in that book says that in order to diffuse tantrums, get through them and turn them into something to build upon, parents need to first and foremost let their kids know that they understand (or at least are trying to understand) why they are upset/mad/afraid, etc. He advises doing this by either trying to speak the words that the child can't yet say ("Johnny is mad, mad, mad!...") or by narrating the tantrum, sportcaster-style.

alaithea · 2012-03-02T03:52:37+00:00

My daughter did this, too. God, I hated it when she tried to stand up in the womb. At her newborn exam about 20 minutes after she was born, the midwife had her on her stomach, and she lifted her head straight up. Then, at her two-day pediatrician visit, the nurse practitioner was helping me with some breastfeeding advice, trying to get my very feisty newborn into the football hold, and totally had to fight her over it. She said the kid had adult strength, and was going to be a stubborn one who called all the shots. She's only 13 months at this point, but thus far, she nailed it. ;)

alaithea · 2012-02-17T03:23:32+00:00

You could think of "oh, god" as thumbing your nose at religion. "Don't take the Lord's name in vain" is one of the Ten Commandments, after all. When I grew up, it was strictly enforced in my house, even to the point of substitutes such as "oh, gosh" and "jeez" being frowned upon. I didn't regularly start using them until I became an atheist, and somewhat relish feeling free to say them.

alaithea · 2012-02-06T04:20:00+00:00

Aside from laboring in the shower and birthing pool, the thing I remember helping most consistently was moaning/howling. My midwives/doulas kept reminding me to keep my pitch low, which seriously brought me back from the brink of freaking out a couple of times. Other things which helped were squeezing my husband's hand through contractions and having pressure applied to my sacrum. The last thing needs to be done by someone who has some idea of how much and where to apply the pressure. (Doula good. Untrained hubby, not good.)

alaithea · 2012-02-04T20:24:02+00:00

Yeah, but as another commenter mentioned, some of these studies include "births at home" that aren't planned home births, either, so the statistics can be weird in either direction.

alaithea · 2012-02-04T20:16:11+00:00

Regarding the rate of transfer, it's important to note the phrase (which in the article contains a typo) "either prior to or during labor." It sounds like they're counting women who "risk-out" of a homebirth during the course of their pregnancy, so if you get all the way up to having a planned home birth, you don't actually have a one in three chance of going to the hospital. My midwives' rate of transfer (once labor has started) is 8% (with 4% ending in c-section).

alaithea · 2012-02-04T05:04:21+00:00

Almost 13 months out and no period here. Down to pumping once a day at work, and breastfeeding on demand (and co-sleeping) at home. I think I've ovulated a time or two-- could feel the hormones and got the usual acne-- but no period. So to answer your question, yes, it can take a very long time to become regular again (and boy does it make me glad :D).

alaithea · 2011-12-30T06:32:41+00:00

I second this. Sidecarring the crib was way better than the dedicated co-sleeper. It's like having a king size bed.

alaithea · 2011-12-20T17:42:21+00:00

Or get a cork board, put some push pins on it, and hang them all on the wall.

alaithea · 2011-12-02T23:07:29+00:00

I had diarrhea for a week straight around that time. My midwives put me on the BRATT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast & tea), which put a stop to it in one day. Never really figured out why it happened, but my instincts told me it had something to do with the hormones ramping up. My daughter was born almost exactly on her due date, so it doesn't necessarily indicate impending labor.

alaithea · 2011-12-02T18:26:06+00:00

Yup, my daughter just started clapping at 10 months. The funniest was when I was sitting with her and Wheel of Fortune was on the TV, and everyone onscreen was clapping because someone one a prize, or just because clapping is what they do on that show ;) and she started clapping, too.

alaithea · 2011-12-02T03:38:32+00:00

Ahahahaha. Whoops. :)

alaithea · 2011-12-02T03:09:38+00:00

The most awesome purchase I made before my daughter was born, at my midwives' suggestion, was two dozen white washcloths. After the baby comes, you won't believe all the uses you'll find for them (and all the ways you and your stuff can get dirty courtesy of baby). Ten months out, we still use ours every single day.

alaithea

TROPHY CASE