Pregnancy, Parenthood & Playtime

Continuing the What Do I need for a Baby Series inspired by the Babies R Us New Parents Checklist, today is onto part 6!
If you missed parts 1-5 you can click on the links below to check out what you missed.

What Do I Really Need Part 1
What Do I Really Need Part 2
What Do I Really Need Part 3
What Do I Really Need Part 4
What Do I Really Need Part 5

When we left off, we were discussing baby furniture!  Cribs, Gliders, and Blanket Chests. Today we will pick up with crib mattresses and move on from there!

Crib Mattress – Obviously if you are planning on using a crib at some point in time, you need a mattress for it. There are so many different types of mattresses for cribs, but I stuck with the traditional spring mattress. I suggest researching other options if they are something you may want to use.
Crib Mattress Pads – Yes! Another must have. Babies are messy little creatures, spit up, diaper explosions, little boys peeing the second you get them out of the bath… If you don’t want your mattress ruined, I highly suggest one, or three. LOL
Portable Crib, Bassinet, Cradle Mat - Another positive, especially if you are the kind of person who doesn’t like to stay at home. Taking this along for diaper changes in various places is very helpful!
Crib Bedding Set – Again important if you are going to be using a crib. If you are trying to save money, skip on the crib bumper. For the first months, at least until your baby can roll over, it is not recommended to be used due to the risk of SIDS.
Fitted Crib Sheets – You obviously need fitted sheets if you are planning on using a crib, but having 3-6 of them is highly recommended. Between spit up, diaper mishaps, and everything else that comes out of babies, being able to change sheets nearly ever other day without having to run and do laundry immediately is helpful.
Blankets – Having at least 4-6 thicker, fleece or warm blankets I highly recommend, no matter what time of the year your baby is born. You will find plenty of need for them, even once your baby is nearing a year old.
Receiving Blankets – You can never have enough of these. We averaged at least 6 of them at all times clean and folded and ready to be used. While you don’t need that many, they are very helpful for swaddling, and day to day use, and even for catching spit up. I also recommend cloth diapers made by Gerber for burpie cloths.
Changing Table Covers – If you are anything like us, your changing table will become a storage unit for diapers and wipes and never actually be used to change your baby. But if you do, having a cover for the changing table pad may be helpful. The changing table as a whole for us was just a piece of furniture we could have gone without.
Sleep Positioner – If you are planning on using the crib, and not co-sleeping in the same room I suggest using a sleep positioner.  We never really had a use for ours, but there is a great use for some.
Wall Hangings – If you are going all out and decorating a nursery, the use of wall hangings and other decorations may be something you would like, but certainly not a must have for your new baby.
Switch Plate Cover – The same goes for the switch plate cover as the wall hangings. It is not something you need for your baby, but it may be something you would like to use for your nursery.
Crib Mobile – They are cute, as well as useful if you are planning to have your little one sleeping in the crib. But certainly not something that you or your baby would not be able to live without.
Lamp – This is hit or miss. If you are planning on using a nursery for midnight feedings, your best bet would be to use a small lamp as opposed to an over head light that producing a good amount of light. Trying not to stimulate your baby too much at night may be your best bet for getting more sleep.
Wall Border – A cute decoration, but a HUGE pain in the butt! We had to use one with our nursery and it ended up being a nightmare. From putting it up, to having enough to go around the entire room, to trying to match the pattern up where the other roll ended.
Window Treatments – Good for decoration, not something you can’t live without.
Diaper Stacker – I loved my diaper stacker! It was useful for storing diapers, and quick access to them when it came time for changing diapers. They are also much more appealing to the eye than stacking diapers everywhere.
Rug – If you have a room that already has carpet it isn’t something you really need.  And it is certainly something you can live without. It depends on what you want to spend and how you want to decorate. Small nursery rugs can run you a good amount.
Hamper – A must have with the amount of laundry you are going to be going through with a new baby! I always thought to myself, how dirty can a baby get?  VERY!
Waste Basket – We never used one in our nursery, we just always used the normal house garbage can. Depending on the set up of your house you may want to use one, but we never really found a use for one.

Looks like from here on out, there may be 1-2 more posts!
Make sure to tune back in!

If you are someone who has been reading here since I started writing this blog last August, you will know that my family carries a yearly pass to the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport. It is a great activity for our children, and it makes a fun family day, whether on the weekend, or just going for an hour or two during the week.

Around Halloween time I posted a list of awesome events for the kids to go and get involved in, and for the upcoming month of May they have some more great events, activities, and days planned. I wanted to share them with my readers who are local!

May 8th 2010 from noon till 3pm is the spring fling : The Spring Fling includes a lot of hands on activities in the Barn Yard area of the zoo. Animal encounters, a blacksmith demonstration, and lots of crafts and activities for your kids!

May 8th 2010 from noon till 3pm is Pet Adoption Day : The zoo, and Petco is sponsoring an Animal adoption day. There will also be demonstrations and lessons for our children showing how important adoption is, as well as how to take care of our pets, and why rescue organizations are important!

May 9th 2010 from 9am till 4pm is a Mothers Day Celebration : All mothers are admitted to the zoo free of cost in celebration of Mothers Day to show appreciation for all that Moms do!

Zoo Tots Day : A program designed for children 18 months to 3 years including story time, games, and zoo related activities.
The program runs on 5/11 from 10:15-11:15 & 1:00pm – 1:45pm
And 5/12 from 10:15-11:15 & 1:00pm – 1:45pm

Lots of great things coming up!

For more events, or information you can visit this website.

Going into the hospital to give birth can sometimes be a scary experience for some women, especially with the maternity care system as we know it today. Knowing your legal rights as a patient is very important.

Here is a sample of the Patient Bill of Rights (I highlighted the rights that stand out in maternity care)

• To safe, considerate and respectful care, provided in a manner consistent with your beliefs;
• To expect that all communications and records pertaining to your care will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law;
• To know the physician responsible for coordinating your care at the Clinical Center;
• To receive complete information about diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis from the physician, in terms that are easily understood. If it is medically inadvisable to give such information to you, it will be given to a legally authorized representative;
• To receive information necessary for you to give informed consent prior to any procedure or treatment, including a description of the procedure or treatment, any potential risks or benefits, the probable duration of any incapacitation, and any alternatives. Exceptions will be made in the case of an emergency;
• To receive routine services when hospitalized at the Clinical Center in connection with your protocol. Complicating chronic conditions will be noted, reported to you, and treated as necessary without the assumption of long-term responsibility for their management;
• To know in advance what appointment times and physicians are available and where to go for continuity of care provided by the Clinical Center;
• To receive appropriate assessment of ,and treatment for, pain;
• To refuse to participate in research, to refuse treatment to the extent permitted by law, and to be informed of the medical consequences of these actions, including possible dismissal from the study and discharge from the Clinical Center. If discharge would jeopardize your health, you have the right to remain under Clinical Center care until discharge or transfer is medically advisable;
• To be transferred to another facility when your participation in the Clinical Center study is terminated;
• To expect that a medical summary from the Clinical Center will be sent to your referring physician;
• To designate additional physicians or organizations at any time to receive medical updates.

When it comes down to it, if you say no, or do not wish to undergo a certain procedure, you legally cannot be forced into it, which we are seeing in an increasing number today.
You have rights!

A new study that has come out recently shows that despite all the medical advances, and advances in infant formula, there are 911 babies in the United States alone annually that will die as a result of not being breast fed. Scary as a mother of a child who had to be formula fed for medical reasons after breastfeeding for the first 6 weeks of his life!

According to this new study, over 13 billion dollars annually could be saved by more mothers breastfeeding their children. These are costs of medical care, private insurance, medicaid, and government agencies, including WIC which is the largest supplier of infant formula in The United States to low income families, the same families more likely to experiences these 911 infant deaths.

Various medical organizations including The World Health Organization and The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend a minimum of breastfeeding for 6 months. Unfortunately for American women, the CDC reports that only 74% of women attempt to breastfeed, only 33% are still exclusively breastfeeding at 3 months, and only 14% are still breastfeeding at 6 months, most not meeting the minimum recommendation.  It is estimated that less than 5% of mothers truly cannot breastfeed for a medical reason.

Many are quick to point the finger at many different reasons that breastfeeding may have not worked for them, but according to this study, as well as many other publications regarding the topics, the biggest factors impacting the ability to breastfeed for the minimum of one year are :

• Lack of education on breastfeeding
• Lack of skilled IBCLC’s in The United States
• Conflicting and confusing information provided to mothers
• The economy
• Women have to return to work shortly after birth because most do not have any form of paid maternity leave.

There are many other factors that impact these choices, especially the way birth is handled in the hospital. The window of the first hours after birth, often when babies are being taken away from the mother for bathing, tests, weight and height measurements, and all that goes along with modern American maternity care strongly impacts the change of a successful breastfeeding relationship.

To read more on this study, you can visit this site.

Today we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day!

Here are a couple great, and easy tips to help you and your family go green!

1. Start a compost pile, or build a compost bin in your backyard. This can be done for as little as $15!
2. Use reusable dish towels in the kitchen to replace paper towels.
3. Trade in the plastic water bottles for a reusable water bottle & a water cooler, or even tap water!
4. Wash your laundry in cold water instead of hot water.
5. Switch your bills to online payment and statements, and avoid all the paper!
6. Stop locally, use your local farmers markets, farms, and produce.
7. When using your computer printer, print on both sides of the paper, or use scrap paper for craft projects with your children.
8. Use a clothes line to dry your laundry instead of the dryer on nice days!
9. Collect rain water and use it to water your household plants, and outdoor gardens.
10. Donate and shop at local thrift stores. The deals and treasures you can find are awesome, and it is like recycling!

Remember, we only have one planet Earth and our society hasn’t been very nice to her in recent years. Be conscious of your waste and lifestyle and what kind of impact it is having on our natural resources and planet.

I know most probably do not keep up with the Politics of Facebook, and what takes place regarding the website. Heck, I still have some friends and family members that absolutely refuse to use the site. At this point I am starting to understand why.

First it started with breastfeeding pictures. Women feeding their children, with very little skin showing, I know my breastfeeding pictures I posted were certainly modest including blankets covering my children. With the simple caption to one of them of “Breastfeeding at Fenway Park” and even this picture was removed!  I was shocked to say the least. Then it started happening to friends, and other family members. I knew it was something specifically targeting breastfeeding mothers.

Groups started popping up all over Facebook supporting the breastfeeding mothers. Put a Blanket over your head, Breastfeeding is not Obscene, Ban Photos of Bottle Feeding Babies, the list goes on and on. There are tons of groups that got deleted through this battle.

Yesterday, a non-profit organization dedicated to Intact Activism was targeted and deleted by facebook for what was called “vulgarity” and “inappropriate content” which most found outrageous because this group was not only focused on medical terms, but used appropriate terms, information, and real medical resources on their group page.

This then spurred my thought that it seems to be only the parenting causes, or groups related to parenting choices that are being targeted by Facebook. Groups dedicated to making a joke out of rape, harassing the Troops, and other various inappropriate and disgusting groups sit on Facebook completely untouched.  Same goes for the pictures of disgustingly dressed half naked kids, some under the age of 18 in compromising situation. Yet Facebook is not taking the time to hunt them down, or monitor their pictures for inappropriate content.

Above picture is a perfect example. A Paparazzi shot of Britney Spears, it is floating all over Facebook, as girls with just as much skin showing, and they are not being disturbed or deleted, yet they are showing far more skin than the vast majority of nursing mothers that were included in the mass deletion of breastfeeding mothers pictures.

Want to do something about it?  Write Facebook and tell them how they are being not only biased, but bigoted towards one group.
They have really aggravated a LARGE group of mothers, internet bloggers, and activists.

The days are getting longer, and warmer, and many of us mothers are looking for fun activities to get us, and our children out of the house.  My newest discovery, which really isn’t very new to the area is the New Haven Cupcake Truck!   What an amazingly awesome concept. A truck, almost like an ice cream truck, that has cupcakes, and even toppings for your cupcake!    Made to order at the window of the truck!!

Now I know most of us parents are careful on watching the sugar intake in our children, and even our own diets, but for a one time activity, or once a month, it is totally worth it!

So how do you find this truck and where they are going to be in New Haven for the day?  Every morning the drivers of this amazing truck post the location, as well as the kid of cupcakes, toppings, and icing they will have for the day on this blog, which is easily accessible through their website.

Our first trip to the truck was on Easter Sunday, and even with all the family activities going on, there was a line down College street in New Haven, full of people from all walks of life waiting for their custom cupcakes.

Some of their flavors include :

• Chocolate Ruin
• Ultimate Vanilla
• Hummingbird (which is described as a sweet and tender southern-style concoction of bananas, coconut, pineapples, and pecans)
• Salted Carmel
• Red Velvet Jones
• Sweet Potato Pecan
• Lemon Meringue
• Loco Coconut

Then there is the icing!  (Also available in simply “shots of icing”) but may not be as desired for our kids,  I know mine would be bouncing off the wall for days with something like that.

• Vanilla
• Chocolate
• White Chocolate Cream Cheese
• Caramel
• Marshmallow

As if that isn’t enough to send you running towards New Haven today, you can even opt for toppings on your cupcake!  Just like an ice cream cone! Some of their toppings include :

• Rainbow & Chocolate Sprinkles
• Oreo Bits
• M&M Bits
• Toasted Nuts
• Coconut flakes
• Sprinkles (Belgian Chocolate & White Chocolate)
• Cocoa Nibs
• Fleur de sel
• Candied flower
• 23kt edible gold

So many amazing and delicious options!  I can attest, between my husband and I we purchased 6 cupcakes, and they were ALL gone within’ about 4 hours, and that was us trying to space out our consumption of them!

Something I have been saying all along. The less intervention, and medical technology that is put into normal and low risk birthing women, the better off the outcomes will be. We will have lower cesarean rates, lower admissions into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and overall better maternal outcomes. With recent studies criticizing and damning the maternal mortality rates in The United States, this is something we need to focus on as a community and society.

In the Pregnancy publication Fit Pregnancy, they recently ran an article called “Better Births, Lower Costs” which detailed some amazing statistics, and including some amazing facts.

One of the facts that really stood out to me most, especially with the current health care bill, and crisis we are having was, The United States spends a larger percentage on health care than any other industrialized nation, yet our citizens are not healthier because of this. I often find myself wondering if this has to do with the amount of money we actually charge for medical services. When I was in the hospital having my second child, I was charged $19 for 2 Motrin. I could have bought TWO family sized bottles at the local Wholesale club for that amount!   I am sure my insurance did not reimburse them the full amount for that, but they certainly shouldnt!

But back to birth!  Maternity care is the number one reason to be hospitalized in The United States, and a cesarean section is the most common operation. Makes you stop for a moment and say… hmmmm?

In the year 2006 $86 billion dollars was spend in The United States on Maternity care services, and newborn care in hospitals. Despite all the money we spend on our mothers and babies, The United States has the 29th worst maternal mortality rate among the industrialized nations, and 36th for maternal mortality. Hardly numbers for us to be bragging about.   I often hear women disucssing how the US has the best of everything, including maternity care, especially when it comes to scheduled births, inductions, and cesareans, but in fact it is the opposite. On top of all that, The March of Dimes has ranked The United States (and Connecticut) as a D on their premature birth report card released earlier in 2010.

The Fit Pregnancy Article includes :

Cesarean sections are a leader in driving childbirth-related spending, the Agency for Healthcare Quality reports. Nearly one-third of the 4.3 million childbirths in 2006 were via C-section, compared with one-fifth in 1997. A C-section costs an average of $4,500 versus $2,600 for an uncomplicated vaginal delivery; $6,100 versus $3,500 for a vaginal birth with complications.

As well as  :

Insurers are jumping on the bandwagon, too. United Healthcare found that 48 percent of newborns admitted to the NICU were from scheduled deliveries, many of them before 39 weeks. When doctors and hospitals curbed the practice, the insurer saw a 46 percent decline in NICU admissions in just three months. “They realize that it costs them a lot more when the safest place for the baby to be is still inside the mother,” says Gullo.

Now, why is it so hard to all hospitals to use this information? It doesn’t seem like it is hiding under a rock someplace. It is public knowledge with very skilled medical professionals as well as high profile researchers backing this up.

As a consumer, become educated!  Maternity care is a consumer care issue and always will be. Ask for studies, information, and statistics regarding your care, and prenatal care provider. Their statistics alone will be very telling when it comes time for you to deliver your baby in their care!