Baby

When I had my first baby, my only connection to cloth diapers (commonly referred to as “Fluff” in the cloth diaper world) was pictures of myself in Gerber prefolds (the ones you buy in a pack at Wal-Mart and usually use as burp cloths) and plastic pants. The thought of diaper pins and a squirmy baby is a little frightening to me. Little did I know how far cloth diapers have come! You can still get prefolds and covers, if that’s what you prefer (and some do). However, you can also get “All in One” diapers which are essentially the cloth equivalent to disposables. I have settled on pocket diapers (a waterproof outer shell which uses an absorbent insert) because they are trimmer, but dry faster than AIOs (All in Ones)…

Have you ever looked at the ingredients in your baby’s food or even tasted it? Many parents say it tastes disgusting and includes extra ingredients. Making your own baby food isn’t as hard as it sounds. For the most part, you just purchase the ingredients and puree them. Another bonus, you can make extra servings and freeze the left overs. Similar to meal prep days for your work lunches, you can have baby food prep days…

I am pretty sure I have owned almost every baby wearing device (Baby wearing is strapping your baby into a carrier on your body rather than carrying them in your arms. It leaves your hands free while still keeping your baby close and secure.) out there from an old-fashioned Snugli, to a trendy Baby Bjorn, to a homemade sling. There are so many out there that it’s overwhelming and confusing, so I decided I am going to try to review the ones I have used and give my honest opinions based on fit, ease of use and, the most important aspect, how much my baby liked it…

The placenta is full of iron to help new mom’s body recover after birth but should you encapsulate your baby’s placenta? I’ve encapsulated several placentas now and I don’t always find out whether the clients found it helped them or not. I figure the ones it did help will probably contact me (and they have). No one has come begging for their money back…

Overall, surrogacy has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I would do it again tomorrow if I could. When people tell me what a wonderful thing I did, all I can think of is, selfishly, how wonderful it was for me too. What a blessing it was for me to be able to help, in such a huge way, create a family!

The surrogate pregnancy process has been both more stressful than I ever could have imagined, but also more rewarding and meaningful to me too. It has been such a blessing to know that I am growing a person for another family to raise. A family that, without me, wouldn’t have had this chance. That feels pretty amazing. I will update once the baby is here and my emotions are all sorted out, but I’ll leave off with this quote that I love regarding surrogacy: “I make families! What’s your super power?”

Where did we leave off in this journey? I had completed my first transfer in May and we were hopeful for a quick, painless success. My intended parents have been through so, so much that I so badly wanted this to be easy for them. I hadn’t had ever had a problem getting pregnant in the past (3 out of 4 babies were surprise blessings!) and I had never had a miscarriage. Failure, honestly, wasn’t on my radar at all…

The birth I am referring to wasn’t mine at all. In no way was it mine. In no way did I do anything extraordinary. I didn’t feel any pain. I didn’t hold a baby in my arms seconds after birth. I really just stood there and uttered some words (to mom, dad, doctors and nurses), rubbed a back, suggested new positions, wet a wash cloth and shed a few tears when that sweet little girl entered the earth. This was my first birth I attended as a doula and a key milestone in my doula training. And, it was amazing! The rush I felt was second only to the birth of my own children. I’ll start from the beginning…

I saw a movie years and years ago about gestational surrogacy. As with most movies, it wouldn’t be any good if it wasn’t full of drama (well, according to producers anyway. After all, even “reality tv” has added drama. Life is typically, well, boring). The movie didn’t end well. But, it planted a little seed in my heart and mind. I was probably 10 or 12 (I just looked it up. I was 10.) with no idea of what it would all entail or even if it would be possible for me, but it intrigued me. The little seed stayed a seed for many, many years. I wanted my own children first and I wanted to be 100% sure I was done having my own children before I even really looked into how all of it worked…

Although I am not currently potty training, I have (with lots of help!) successfully potty trained 3 little boys. Several friends have recently asked for breastfeeding advice for their little boys, so I thought I’d give a few pieces of potty training tips that may (or may not) help other parents going through it. I will admit we had a lot of help potty training our middle two boys, Micah and Elijah. I was working full-time when they were potty trained, so others played a large roll, but I can still give tips based on what we did and what they did. It does, however, involve some bribing, so don’t necessarily take great parenting notes from this one, BUT bottom line, it was temporary and it worked…

Most pediatricians will recommend you feed your baby only breast milk for the first six months (if you are breastfeeding. For Formula feeders, it is four months) and then start the weaning process with a slow introduction of solids for practice. By one year, solid intake should be enough to sustain baby and most will give you the go ahead to introduce cow’s milk instead of breast milk, if you wish…