Hiatus

I wanted to announce that I am going to be taking a year off from doula-ing. I am going to be starting school in June and I need all the time I can get to focus on family and school. I will continue to teach childbirth education classes as needed. I am going to dearly miss attending births, but I know this is the best decision for me and my family. I am going to make an exception for a dear friend who is due with her first baby in November. I will continue to blog and be involved in the Nashville Birth Network and birth related things.

Breastfeeding Trials and Triumphs

Right now I am surrounded by women who are either new mothers or expectant mothers. As a new mom myself (for the 3rd time) I have experienced breastfeeding challenges and triumphs. Over the course of the last week I have spoken with several new moms about their breastfeeding experiences. One mom I spoke with just had her second baby and she is successfully nursing him, but was unable to be successful with her first child. She has found this nursing relationship to be much easier than the first. Another mom I spoke with has showed amazing commitment and determination. Her and her daughter were having problems getting feeding time started. For several days she would attempt to latch her daughter on and when she was unsuccessful would pump and then give her daughter pumped milk from a bottle. Their nursing relationship is beginning to turn around and mom has not had to supplement any feedings for several days.
Breastfeeding is hard! We all hear this, but many of us, myself included, don't really believe it can be "that hard," but then we have a baby and experience it for ourselves and learn just how difficult it can be. My advice would be to seek help, surround yourself with supportive people and don't give up too soon. For me it always got easier after the end of the second week, or at least it didn't get any worse.
Just because you have more than one child doesn't mean it gets easier, you just have more knowledge about how to deal with those challenges. Looking back on my nursing experiences I believe they have prepared me to raise my children. Each of my children presented their own challenges during the beginning of our nursing relationship and they each pose different challenges to me as they grow up. They are all so different but with each passing day I gain more knowledge about how to guide them as they grow.
I feel it is very important for women who desire to breastfeed to take a breastfeeding class and attend a La Leche League meeting before their baby is born. I know I wish I had before my first child was born. Having a strong support system is key. Check out these resources for more information on breastfeeding! If you have any you would like to add leave a comment and I will add them.

La Leche League
Find an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant)
Breastfeeding Info

Our Newest Blessing

Evelyn Gael was born on March 8th (exactly 7 days after my due date) at 9:09am after about four and a half hours of active labor, including one hour of pushing. She weighed in at 7lbs 9.5oz and was 20 inches long. She is beautiful (as you can see), she has blue eyes so dark they almost look black, a full head of dark hair and a dark complexion; she looks nothing like our other two. My labor was intense and so was pushing, it was longer than my last baby, but I also felt more present during this birth as I knew what to expect and how my body would feel. My sister videotaped the entire event and as soon as I can edit the video (it spans 3 tapes) I will let you know. God once again blessed us with a beautiful, healthy baby girl and a beautiful, natural birth to bring her into this world. I am blessed beyond measure. Big brother adores her, always wanting to hold her and look at her and even offering her a train to play with. Big sister is still investigating her and cries whenever her little sister does. We are adjusting to life as a family of five. When I have time to actually put my birth story down on paper I will post it. Thanks to all of you who kept us in your prayers and thoughts during my pregnancy, it is greatly appreciated. We are hoping to start a separate blog about our family, so be looking for that in the near future.

Maternity Photos

An old high school friend, Stella Dolce Photography, did a maternity photo shoot for our family. I think the pictures turned out great so I wanted to share some of them. Enjoy!! Oh, I am 38 weeks pregnant in the pictures, Tristan is 3 and Emeline is 16 1/2 months.

I'm Feeling Blessed

Today my wonderful Sunday school class, The Upper Room, threw me a baby shower, I had such a great time. The cake and peanut butter balls were amazing and we got most everything we needed. It was so nice to have a baby shower, even though we already have two children, there were still several things we needed. I finally feel like I am ready for this baby to come. I'm 37 weeks pregnant today, so we'll see how much longer she decides to stay in there!

Blessingways

As I begin to plan for my own birthing time I am becoming increasingly interested in blessingways and how to introduce the idea to family and friends. Then I came across this awesome post by Bellies and Babies. Since this is my third baby in three years I am not expecting a baby shower, but a blessingway would be incredible. I would like to experience one so that I can help plan them for expectant moms.

I believe it would be a birth changing tradition if it was done as frequently as baby showers are. Imagine the impact this small, simple ceremony would have!

Incredible Births

In the last 2 weeks I have been privileged to attend two incredible births! I am now on "maternity leave" from doula work until after my little one arrives. I could not have attended two more wonderful births before the birth of my baby. I am meeting with both moms next week and hope to be able to post birth stories then. A woman's body is such an amazing thing!! I can't wait to share!

Oh, Happy New Year!!!