Today, my top priority is to vote in one of the United States’ most crucial and historic elections. I am grateful to all of the American suffragists of the early 1900’s who were so passionate about a woman’s right to vote that they protested tirelessly and even went on hunger strikes to prove their dedication. It’s an amazing history, I think. I am thankful that the women who fought for our right to vote won that right. And, not only did they survive to savor their victory, but they went on to enjoy long, purposeful lives.

In the spirit of exposing my children to the cause of being an active member of their community, my husband and I took them with us to vote this morning. Some would disagree with this practice, but I wanted to live out this simple act by example, holding my three-year-old daughter in my arms as I pressed my index finger to the touch screen. She had originally heard my announcement of “we’re going voting today!” as ” we’re going boating today!” to which she quickly replied, “Oh, yay! We’re going to see the fishies!” After a good chuckle and many hugs, I explained what voting was all about. And, to my great delight, she couldn’t wait to go voting and stuck with me throughout the whole process.

Meanwhile, my five-year-old accompanied my husband to the booth and afterward had many questions—one of which was, “when can I vote?” This was followed by, “why do I have to wait until I’m 18?” and “Can we buy a donut [at the bake sale table]?”

And, my only thought was, “Well, I guess we got the dialogue going.” And, that’s the best I can hope for.

If you’d like to read a bit about the American suffrage movement, go to the Alice Paul Institute and Lucy Burns National Women’s Party site for more information.

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OK. I haven’t posted much on this site since the springtime, and we’re already well beyond the onset of fall. Truth be told, I have had what some might call writer’s block (better known as the void of motherhood sucking out my brain.) I love being a mother—and, it shows, considering I’ve been spending nearly every waking hour with my kiddos for the last six months. Believe me, I’m not complaining, but it IS nice to have an occasional break. So…

Upon recent inspection—thanks to a much needed rejuvenating trip to New York City last weekend—I have noticed that I have four articles that I began researching in spring that have yet to color these pages.

So for now, here is a brief overview of topics to be discussed at earthmother.org within the next few weeks:

• Introduction to the Fear-Tension-Pain Cycle during childbirth
• The benefits of hypno-birthing.(Sounds like a bizarre fad? It’s not.)
• The experience of being and having a doula
• Yummy fall-inspired vegetarian recipes for kids

While you’re waiting, don’t forget to check out many of the articles already posted with the categories of Breastfeeding, Natural Childbirth, Diapering, vegetarian/natural foods diet, and Green Themes.

Have a fabulous fall day, all!

Be Well

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Welcome back!

I realize it’s been at least three quickly passing warm-weather months since I last checked in to earthmother.org. It’s been a wonderful, albeit busy, summer yielding: car trips! music fests! home improvements! the end of potty training! And a great deal of time spent with friends and family.

Today, I am getting back to it  by taking a moment to say “Hello.” Then, signing off so I can spend the weekend with my family putt-putt golfing, cooking out at my neighbor/friend’s place, and going to a baseball game. Hey, I didn’t say that summer was over!

My thoughts for this morning?
“What will you remember about today?”
OK, maybe too heavy for 9 AM, but worthy of reflection after I drink a cup of Peet’s.

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Did I blink sometime late September and catapult two months into the future? Whoa. Where did October go? For that matter, November? And, at the same time I feel like it’s been a looong season with so much activity that I can’t keep up. Since my last post, we’ve celebrated a few birthdays, suffered our share of childhood sicknesses and remodeled our first floor bathroom. Oh yeah, and I organized and sponsored another Recycle Circle that was somehow exciting, relaxing and productive all in one clip.

At the beginning of Autumn, I threw a big party for my two year old to which she wore an awesome green and white polka-dotted dress complements of her Daddy. Our little dancer twirled and played and had enough fun for all of us combined. I served a mostly vegetarian menu to a tough crowd—my uncles are, um, picky. But, I was satisfied to watch as whole platters were devoured. Not the plates… And, it’s worth mentioning that I managed to offer to our littlest guests inexpensive party treats that did not include corn syrup sweetened candy or trinkets labeled Made in China. I think I was motivated as much by the nearly impossible challenge as I was the obvious benefits. I don’t think anyone else noticed…and really, why would they?

Last month, my four year old celebrated his October birthday with a party at a local kid’s indoor jungle gym fun place. The staff was graciously willing to cater to our vegetarian, junk food-free diet, and I was thrilled to bring my own cake. It was a costume party during which the host proudly donned his red and blue Spiderman suit and—along with several other four-foot-tall super-heroes—fought crime, slung webs and devoured a moist and sweet Spidey confection. We had a blast.

That is, until I realized that there may be a correlation between consumption of foods containing eggs (including baked goods) and the amount of diapers I’ve been changing*. During the last two months, my two year old has had multiple bouts of vomiting and diarrhea—the first two of which I attributed to those unapologetic viruses that prey on the pre-K set. But, I became increasingly concerned about food allergies as coincidences became gradually difficult to overlook. Her last two incidences occurred directly after (1) eating a bite or two of my mom’s first attempt at crème brulee (which was spot on delicious) and only four days later (2) a few licks of ice cream at my niece’s third b-day party. After this last time her reaction was by far the worst. She was totally miserable and got to the point where she has been self potty training in response to the discomfort and frequency of, well, you get the idea. It’s not pretty. She was unable to sit down, laying only on her belly for two days. Despite the fact that I spend 24 hours a day with her, I have been proud to witness a developing side of her spirit: a brave, no non-nonsense, rolling with the punches attitude that quite frankly has me wondering about those crocodile tears shed when sharing her crayons is at issue.

So far she’s had one food-allergy blood screen and is scheduled for an allergy skin test mid-December. Until then, our family’s lacto-ovo veg diet has morphed into veganism. I’m actually having fun re-discovering some of the vegan recipes that were in a more regular rotation during my twenties. To that end, for fun I’ve begun to post my veg family of four menus—mostly dinners. Also, I’ve been compiling a list of some of our lunchtime menus at things to feed a vegetarian kid for lunch. (Friendly nod to Maggie Mason)

For a discussion of egg allergy basics as well as other parenting fundamentals, Kid’s Health makes an effort to be informative while keeping it simple.

*And, in case anyone who regularly reads these pages is wondering:
Due to the multiple bouts of sickness my two year old has been experiencing, no, I do not use cloth diapers anymore. There is no way that my bleeding liberal heart could possibly withstand it. Sure, I love the earth. But—at more than one soiled diaper an hour in some cases— the issue of being “saved” became less about the planet and more about our sanity.

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An introduction to the Natural Childbirth Series

For a pregnant woman, it can be overwhelming to sift through the vast amount of often contradictory information and advice from prenatal to postpartum. And, for a first time mother, there are certainly many, many decisions to make. When selecting a physician or midwife to attend pregnancy and childbirth, we are met with so many points to consider.

* What are the procedures that our health care team will or won’t perform?
* What level of support and information will or won’t they provide?
* What quality of caring and compassion will or won’t they exhibit?
* What kind of encouragement and confidence will or won’t they inspire in us as we prepare for the greatest challenges of parenthood?

What kinds of answers do we really expect from asking these questions?

In our consumer-driven culture, women can be perceived as just another a demographic to which products and services are sold. And, I have to wonder, is our health care any different? Are our health care options just another service to be marketed? And, if so, I wonder how this influences the collective perception of what we women think we can do; what we think we are capable of. With so much rhetoric swarming about, do we ever really have the opportunity to decide for ourselves what we are capable of? Do women collectively feel strong and empowered? Do we feel comfortable in our own skin? Do the common avenues of media encourage women to embrace our womanliness? How much does shared opinion affect our choices, medical or otherwise?

I believe that the fundamental reason why women may choose not to have a natural childbirth lies in the way we have been taught to view our bodies; to view ourselves. I have always had the opinion that cultural norms run in a vicious circle powered by the betterment of the establishment rather than the greater good of the collective—what ever can make big business the most money is what is force-fed to our psyches.

While taking the stance of compassionate rebel, I’ve always tried to do my part in encouraging others to find their own truths. I’ve always believed that the widespread benefit of health and wholeness is possible. In relating this position to childbirth, my first pregnancy inspired many questions in me. I began to read as much as I could about my options for prenatal care and labor experiences. And, unfortunately, I was shocked and saddened by what I learned.

The part of the Hippocratic oath that states “keep the good of the patient as top priority” had been lost in the actual practice many physicians employ. I started to question— why in my own experience do physicians never seem to portray their role as an educator of health? Instead, of proactively educating patients about healthy life choices, they have taken to focusing on disease. And, in the case of labor and delivery, it seems to me that doctors treat the event as a disease to be medicalized rather than a natural event to guide and protect.

I found evidence of these attitudes in many sources. To cite just one example: The bestseller Your Pregnancy week by week—a book millions of women have come to trust as a reliable guide—addresses the subject of natural childbirth on less than one of its 380 pages of content. While I have nothing personal against the authors, I have to wonder why they choose language that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in a woman’s natural ability to birth. The authors spend the small space convincing women not to feel guilty when they’ll inevitably need medical interventions. They offer exactly zero space presenting even a short list of the benefits of natural childbirth. Nowhere can be found a positive statement such as, “natural childbirth is worth considering.” I know I am not the only woman who thinks there is something missing here.

In many cases, I found the relentless promotion of the perception that birth is a horrible, painful experience to be feared. Thus, mothers hear: Dull the pain. Anesthetize your feelings. Get it over with. Ad infinitum.

And so, it is my intention to do what so few others are willing to do: inspire confidence in women.

In my search for a positive authority on the subject, I did find several sources who encourage women to embrace what can be a beautiful, fulfilling event. I want to do my part in making these resources more widely known. Why not open discussion about the natural capabilities of a woman? Why not discuss the true facts about the adverse effects medical interventions can have on healthy moms and babies? Why not ensure positive resources of information are more widely circulated among the masses? Why not invite women to embrace what society tries to stifle—that we are intelligent and hungry for knowledge; that we are beautiful in all proportions; that we are proactive about our health and wellness; that we are built to conceive, nurture, and birth our children.

And, when we consider the facts, we are willing and able to make choices for ourselves.

Next Up in the Natural Childbirth Series:

Medical Interventions: Developed for crisis and emergency

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You may notice a new link to the left under the parenting category: liddlekidz.com
Last week, it was our pleasure to be contacted by the site’s founder, Tina Allen. A licensed massage therapist with many other certifications and affiliations to her credit, Tina spends her time educating families and practitioners about the amazing benefits of infant/child massage, traveling for speaking engagements, and volunteering for family focused charitable causes. It’s obvious through their dedication to the field, that the LiddleKidz team holds the “belief that children are our greatest gift and should be treated with extraordinary care!” And, we quite agree.

LiddleKidz is a great resource for families interested in learning more about infant/child massage. Check it out.

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