"Shouldn't you start doing things to get labor started?"

Probably the most annoying: "Are you sure everything's ok?" You've been going to your care provider for every scheduled visit (makes you feel like they are accusing you of being careless)

Get yourself a sweet treat of froyo (frozen yogurt) at Red Mango. The have an assortment of about 12 different flavors of naturally sweetened delicious frozen treat. It may seem like a splurge but because their yogurts have natural probiotics they are a very smart choice for a treat. Toppings...endless. Fresh cut fruits, gummy candy, crunchy sweet treats, etc. Hey, your carrying an awesome little being so live it up with candy bar toppings (unless your lactose intolerant like me, just eat the froyo).

 Get a chiropractic adjustment with Dr. Amy Hippard. Your getting your body prepared for one of the biggest best moments of your life. Your body will definitely be doing things that it doesn't do on a regular basis. Dr. Amy is certified in the Webster technique, which is specific to pregnancy.  A nice gentle adjustment can do wonders to relax and refresh you.

 Take a walk at the Midway Village Museum. There you can walk the grounds surrounding the village during the daytime hours everyday for free. You can stroll the natural botonical gardens that have been restored to the natural 19th century Heritage Gardens including ornamentation. During special events you can enter the other areas and buildings.

 Go for a swim at the Rock Swim & Fitness on East State Street. You may not be able to swim but getting into the water there or a friend's pool can be soooo refreshing especially with the summer season approaching. At the very least you can walk around in the pool while supporting your most cherished passenger. Block up with appropriate SPF and keep the bump out of the hot sun. Stay hydrated at all times...keep Cool!

 Get your nesting relieved for home, baby's room and clean gently used baby clothing at the Thrifty Boutique. You can get your retail fix, get some much needed curtains for baby's room or a sweet outfit to bring baby home from the hospital. You will have unexpected expenses once baby arrives so protecting your nest egg is essential. Stopping in here may prove to be a good fit for future children's clothes shopping.

 Go and smell the roses at the Sinnissippi Rose Garden or you can catch a free concert at the Sinnissippi Band Shell. The gardens are beautifully maintained and you can park your car walk to the rose garden, sit by the water's edge at the lagoon. There is a giant fountain that blows the water so high in the air it will blow you away!

 Join the local Babywearers group and learn how to wrap your sweet little baby properly, safely and comfortably for the season. All types of wraps are discussed at the meetings. You can pay an annual fee and be able to rent of wraps before you buy (because they can cost a small fortune). Search on Facebook BWI of NCIL Rockford.

 Pick up some freshly made foods at Food 4 Fuel. These meals are prepared for optimal use of calories for fuel (energy) which you will need. Get to know these people for now and after baby arrives. You can order food to be picked up at the Carlson Ice Arena on Monday & Thursday. These foods are foods that you would choose for your family (natural, organic, not overprocessed at all, cooked fresh). This may look like food for fitness but you are part of the baby race now so fuel up. Best choice for new parents!

 Go watch some dancing. You can catch some semi-professional live dancing on the 4th Saturday of each month at the Boone County Community Building. You can sit and watch this friendly group of dancers USA Dance Northern Illinois. You can also catch some "swingers" Swing Dancing with Forest City Swing every Thursday at Mount Olive Church. So dancing for you might be out but it's like watching any performance and a great activity you might want to try in the near future to keep fit.

 Get Oh Baby Mine onto your "favorites" contact list. Add OBM's phone number to your phone so you can give us a call at first sign of lactation issues. Don't suffer with pain or wonder about baby's latch. You can set up a birth lactation where OBM will come to your birth (anytime of day or night) to assist with baby's first latch & keep you breastfeeding a good long time.

If needed from this pregnancy or previous pregnancies or you just want to be a supporter of women who have had to undergo a Cesarean section please join our movement in the Rockford and surrounding areas at ICAN of Rock River Valley.

I had really wondered about this so I did a lot of studying up on it. I wanted to make educated comments on this subject that I feel very passionate towards. Alcohol as a solvent (Isopropyl) is very drying to our skin, hair & nails. Why would ethanol alcohol be much different? It's not ~ it's just as drying; as in "Drying You Up."


One thing beer has that can help is Hops Flower., Hops are a bitter, relaxing herb that eventually became standard for brewing, is a potent, estrogenic galactagogue with a strong reputation for the milk-ejection reflex. But what we can't deny in our culture here in the US is that our new moms get stressed easily over not having a proper amount of help & support (for breastfeeding, being away from baby at work, taking care of other children, etc.). Hops Flower has a bad side effect of depression. Which can be why when some people drink they feel more saddened.

Beer consumption by nursing women altered the sensory qualities of their milk and the behavior of their infants during breastfeeding in a short term study. The infants consumed significantly less milk during the 4-hr testing sessions in which their mothers drank alcoholic beer compared to when the mothers drank nonalcoholic beer; this decrease in milk intake was not due to a decrease in the number of times the babies fed. Although the infants consumed less of the alcohol-flavored milk, the mothers believed their infants had ingested enough milk, reported that they experienced a letdown during nursing, and felt they had milk remaining in their breasts at the end of the majority of feedings. The mechanism by which the consumption of alcoholic beer by lactating women decreases milk intake by their nurslings remains to be determined.


This pretty much sums it all up right here:
   Alcohol is an ANTI-galactagogue. Studies on animals and humans show that alcohol impairs the milk ejection reflex, slows the flow of milk, and leads to a reduced intake of milk by the baby during approximately four hours after drinking. Because of the back-up of milk, the breast feels fuller, fooling the mother into believing she is producing more. And because her baby drinks longer (milk flow is reduced, so it requires more time for baby to remove milk from the breast) the mother believes that her baby is drinking more. 



For more info on this subject or other subjects related to breastfeeding, labor support or placenta preservation contact Lisa. You can even have her speak at your event.



http://lactogenicdiet.blogspot.com/2011/10/beer-as-galactagogue-brief-history.html

http://creebreastfeeding.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/dear-lc-i%E2%80%99ve-been-told-that-drinking-a-beer-will-help-my-milk-supply-is-that-true-what-about-an-occasional-glass-of-red-wine-with-a-meal-or-for-a-special-occasion/

http://www.motherisk.org/women/updatesDetail.jsp?content_id=347

http://www.breastfeedingbasics.org/cgi-bin/deliver.cgi/content/Drugs/alcohol.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2799511/

Coming home from the hospital sounds glorious after having your Squish & being stuck in the hospital. It can be amazing, intimidating & terrifying! The first night can be pretty good. It's the second day home from the hospital that can be extreme; especially if you have visitors all day to pass the Squish around. That passing around can keep them occupied and calm; so they are usually sleeping. All that extra sleeping makes for a rough night. Even if they aren't visiting & being cuddled all day the second night can make you feeling like you are so unprepared. You may think baby was sneaking a "5 Hour Energy Drink".

When your home with your new bundle of Joy your focus should be on establishing breastfeeding, getting to know baby & having baby get to know you. You also my have to ease your older children into their new role as an older sibling while also letting them know that you still love them the same as before. These are among the important things & you may have more as each life is unique.

You really don't want to be concerned with dishes, floors, laundry, cooking, shopping for groceries, cleaning dog poop in the yard, dusting, cleaning toilets, UGH, the list goes on forever! Forget about all that!!!

This is your time & you won't be able to get this time back. It's also not necessary to break your back keeping up the house. That's where the postpartum doula comes in. We can be like a big sis, aunt, mom, best friend, maid, lactation consultant and nurse all in one. We can take on all of the day-to-day tasks to keep the household running. You can get some extra rest while a CPD (Certified Postpartum Doula) rocks baby. You may need a friendly face to tell you daily that you are doing a great job or how to best get a gassy baby to burb and relieve baby's tummy pressure. We are not just a friendly face though, we are trained for these skills.

Here's a quick rundown on what a day with a CPD: Text me with your grocery list, I will get the items & bring them to you. When I get there I will put away the things, then check on you and baby to see how breastfeeding is going. Things are going well so while I get busy washing clothes and cleaning dinner dishes (from last night), we can chat about any questions or concerns you have. While you are napping or showering I can start dinner and fold clothes. I will bring baby to you when he shows signs of hunger, make sure that latch is good, baby is getting properly fed. At that point our day might be over. It ALL depends on your needs.

There are several situations for a CPD to fit in with your lifestyle. The only way you'l lknow how you can benefit from this service is the call & ask. You buy a block of hours (there's a minimum so you can actually get enough of the benefits, too little hours may not be beneficial enough). You will schedule the times that you will need help with some notice (usually 24 hours). If you run into trouble and need help right away CALL & check availability. In the Rockford & surrounding area call 815-988-4292.

When I was breastfeeding my youngest I decided I was done with trying to wear contacts (because they dried the heck out of my eyes) & done buying glasses. It was time for eye surgery. I called the doctor's office to set up an appointment. Of course, they asked if I was pregnant or breastfeeding? I was still breastfeeding her but did not plan on having any more children. I was planning on stopping soon but I would still have to wait several months until I could have the surgery. I waited an extra month just to be sure the changes were reversed.

No! Changes in hormones, metabolism, fluid retention, and blood circulation can all affect your eyes and your eyesight during pregnancy.

Water retention, for instance, may cause the thickness and curvature of the cornea of your eye to increase slightly. It's a small change, but it could affect how well your glasses or contacts correct your vision. It's also why laser eye surgery isn't recommended during pregnancy and why it's not a good time to be fitted for new contact lenses.

If you experience vision changes during pregnancy, they'll probably be minor. Most women who experience a change find that they're a bit more nearsighted than they were before pregnancy.

If you wear glasses, it's unlikely that you'll need to change your prescription, but it is possible. If you think your vision has changed significantly, have it checked.

Pregnancy isn't a great time to invest in a new pair of glasses, though. In most cases, these changes are temporary and will reverse themselves within several months of delivery.

How else can pregnancy affect my eyes?You may find that your eyes are drier and more irritated during pregnancy (as well as during breastfeeding). This, along with subtle changes in the shape and thickness of the cornea, may contribute to some difficulty wearing contact lenses that were once comfortable.

Pregnancy can also bring about changes in existing eye conditions – for better or for worse. If you have diabetes, see an ophthalmologist before you get pregnant and again in early pregnancy to get screened for damage to the blood vessels in your retina. This condition, called diabetic retinopathy, often worsens during pregnancy, so you'll need more frequent eye exams while you're pregnant and in the postpartum period.


I had my eye surgery in the early Spring. I was so excited I couldn't stand it! I signed the huge stack of paperwork (as required) & I was dialated to get my eyes corrected to 20/20 vision. The results I could see: some were immediate the rest of the correction was evident that next morning when it would be required for me to drive myself to the appointment for the next part.

I will have to say the colors were the best & brightest EVER! I was so glad I waited. Now, many years later I still enjoy most of that same vision correction. My distance is still 20/20, the rest isn't much of a change. I'm so glad the told me up front that they wouldn't do it right away. Because of the great expense & it being out-of-pocket I didn't want to have to pay again to have it.