Just found this article on powerofmoms.com
Loved it so much I had to copy and repost it so I have the ability to send it to people!
Grab a tissue :)

Joy or ...Just Wait
by Katie Wetherbee on May 8, 2012 • 8:22 am

As I wait at Target, a young couple pushes a stroller in the line behind me. The stroller, brand new, appears to be on its maiden voyage. I peer at the tiny sleeping newborn, his fingers curled up near his ruddy face.
“You guys do good work!” I comment. The parents beam with pride, but the weariness in their eyes lets me know that they are all still in the process of getting to know each other. The lady behind the couple glances at the stroller as well, and asks. “Is this your first?” They nod proudly. ”Just wait…” she snorts, and then follows with a comment about unruly teenagers.
Inwardly, I wince. We seem to live in a country overrun by a great lot of negative naysayers when it comes to parenting. I remember hearing comments like that when I was a new (and overwhelmed!) mom. It seemed that many parents were suffering from a chronic case of disappointment and dissatisfaction called ”Just-Wait-itis,” characterized by the inflammation of impending doom in parenthood….I felt trapped in a swirl of know-it-alls who were warning me that the worst was yet to come.
Of course, now that my kids are teenagers, I know the truth. Parenting is complicated; it’s wonderful and challenging; exhausting and gut wrenching; heartwarming and heart breaking.

Image by Katie Wetherbee

And, at the outset, parenting can be utterly daunting. It just doesn’t help when others douse young parents with stories leading to doubt and despair.
Instead, we seasoned moms could infuse joy into our “just waits…” As I regard this weary pair, I think of so many things I could say…
Just wait until your preschool son sees you in the hallway at pick up time and covertly grins and waves to you. (It’s the best flirting in the world.)
Just wait until you watch your kindergartener jump off the bus after that first day, triumphant and tired, melting into your arms.
Just wait until your son is up to bat, and strikes out, holding it together despite disappointment. And just wait until the crack of the bat meeting the ball surprises him and he races to first base…safe.
Just wait until your daughter stands up for a classmate who is struggling, and her peers, humbled, apologize.
Just wait until your child, painfully tethered to tubes and machines in the hospital, whispers, “I just want my mommy.” (and you are suddenly aware that your presence is more powerful than any prescription.)
Just wait until your son gets his very first summer job and he is, unmistakably, walking taller and more confidently as a result.
Just wait until your child’s quick sense of humor makes you double over with laughter.
Just wait until you hear your son invite a friend to church.
Just wait until your daughter receives her first college acceptance and you find yourself overcome with tears…not because she’s leaving, but because she’s ready.
The baby in the stroller whimpers, breaking my reverie.
I smile at the couple and look them straight in the eye.
“You have so much joy ahead of you…” I remark…
“Just wait.”

Image by Katie Wetherbee

For more great stories, check out Katie Wetherbees’s blog- Diving for Pearls
original link http://powerofmoms.com/2012/05/joy-or-just-wait/

The Full Moons Effect on Labor and Birth

Do more women go into labor during a full moon? Would more women spontaneously deliver during a full moon if doctors and midwives did not remove babies early via C-section or labor induction? Many experts will adamantly deny any evidence to suggest a relationship between the moon and our bodies. These experts seem to forget that just because something hasn’t been proven, doesn’t mean that it isn’t real.
by David Rose

Did you know that some maternity units actually have more staff available during periods of full moon?I’ve always been fascinated by the moon’s effect on nature, so when a friend’s wife conveyed to me what her midwife had told her during the birth of their daughter, I decided to find out more about childbirth, full moon and a possible link.
On speaking to various medical staff involved in natural childbirth, the first thing I learned was that expectant mothers often experience false signs of labor during full moon. Contractions known as “Braxton Hicks” — sometimes noticeable to the mother and sometimes not — become more pronounced and many travel to the maternity unit in the belief that “it’s time”. Disappointed — or perhaps relieved — they return home, the pains having subsided with no dilation of the cervix.
While these expectant mothers visiting the clinic with their mistaken signs of labor are part of the reason why extra staff are needed, the major difference is found in the number of women whose amniotic sac — the water — breaks.
Just as some women experience false labor pains, in cases where the water breaking marks the start of childbirth, full moon is the time when it’s most likely to happen. In order to discover for myself whether this could be true, I asked several female friends how their births had started. Those who responded with “the water breaking” were then asked the date of the birth. On checking this against a moon phase chart, I discovered that almost all had given birth on, or very close to, a full moon.
The theory is that the moon’s gravitational pull effects the amniotic fluid in much the same way as it effects the water in the sea, rivers and even the water that’s otherwise found in our bodies.
“There are published works that show that there is such a relationship. One study4 looked at 5,927,978 French births occurring between the months of January 1968 and the 31st December 1974. Using spectral analysis, it was shown that there are two different rhythms in birth frequencies: –a weekly rhythm characterized by the lowest number of births on a Sunday and the largest number on a Tuesday and an annual rhythm with the maximum number of births in May and the minimum in September-October. A statistical analysis of the distribution of births in the lunar month shows that more are born between the last quarter and the new moon, and fewer are born in the first quarter of the moon. The differences between the distribution observed during the lunar month and the theoretical distribution are statistically significant.” – Source: Full moon, Gravitational Pull and Childbirth, Birthsource.com
As a woman’s body prepares for natural childbirth, the amniotic sac becomes distended so the point where it will easily burst if put under pressure. Under normal circumstances, the pressure of labor contractions bursts the sac. During a full moon, the pressure caused by the moon’s effect on the water inside the sac can cause the same things to happen, but without the accompanying contractions.
When this happens, natural childbirth doesn’t always move forward and with no other signs of labor present, the obstetrician may decide to induce the birth. During my own study of this phenomenon I found that of 8 women whose births started with the water breaking at full moon, 5 of them had no accompanying contractions. A coincidence? Perhaps. But surely midwives wouldn’t prepare themselves for an increase in natural childbirth activity if there wasn’t some truth in this?
One midwife told me that when it comes to planning childbirth, full moons should always be looked for around the time of the expected delivery. If there’s one within a few days either side, the chances are your baby will be born on that day.
Sheryl’s comment:
Theoretically, many of our cycles should be naturally in sync with the cycles of the nature. In a world devoid of electric lights, women’s menstrual cycles naturally synchronize with the phases of the moon in which they ovulate during the full moon and menstruate at the new moon (lunar fertility). There is more at play than simply gravitational pull. Total darkness signals your body to create melatonin and the sunlight of daybreak signals your body to stop this production. The light of the full moon is a signal for your body to cease melatonin production and that is what signals the start of ovulation. Electric lights are a huge potential factor in irregular ovulation.
That said, we all know that hormones play a role in spontaneous labor and while I have no idea how the moon influences the hormones specifically related to childbirth, it stands to reason that nature affects our bodies a lot more than the medical community would like us to believe.
To enhance the effects of moon, be sure to sleep in total 100% darkness. Even a small nightlight will throw off your melatonin levels. Make sure to get plenty of light during the day and open your blinds during the three days with the fullest moon. It may or may not help influence your birth but it will help your body connect with mother earth.
Lastly, if you really want to let yourself connect with nature during childbirth then do not let unscrupulous doctors or midwives “get things going” by induction or any other methods. If you trust birth and allow your baby to come into this world when he or she is good and ready then you may just experience birth during the full moon.
Buy the Book: The Moon and Childbirth
About the author:
David Rose is the creator of the popular moon software, QuickPhase Pro, the fun and easy way to view the phases of the moon. To learn more, visit http://www.quickphase.com
Original Article: http://childbirth.amuchbetterway.com/the-moons-effect-on-natural-childbirth/

Accupressure for Nausea & Vomiting during Labor

Point Location:

This point is three of the women's finger widths above the transverse crease of the inner wrist. It lies directly between the two tendons felt here. (The tendons of palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis).

Acupressure Technique

This can be used for mild feelings of nausea through to vomiting.
Place pressure on the point and hold until the symptoms are relieved, usually within five minutes. You can use pressure on both wrists or only one, whatever is more practical at the time.
It is possible to buy a wristband to help apply pressure to this point. They are available through chemists and have plastic buttons on them to place pressure over the acupressure point.
Alternately you can make your own. Form a wrist band with elastic, and sew onto it a rounded button. Wear it with the rounded edge pressing into your skin. Take care that once in place the pressure exerted on the acupressure point through the button is firm but not uncomfortable.
original site: http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/Acupressure/nausea.aspx

Accupressure for Natural Pain Relief in Labor

Point Location:

When you draw an imaginary line between the bony prominence of the neck (C7), and the top of the shoulder joint (the acromion process), this point lies midway along this curved line, at the highest point of the shoulder muscle. It will feel tender with a numbing/ buzzing/ warming sensation (this sensation varies with individuals). The sensation is stronger on this point than any other points along this line You can find this point on yourself by bringing your hand diagonally across your chest and palpating with your index finger along this "imaginary line."

Acupressure Technique

It is important that support people apply firm downwards pressure with their thumb/ knuckle/ elbow. This acupressure point responds to pressure, massaging and rubbing the area can be irritating for women during labour.
When using the thumbs the pressure needs to come from the arms rather than the thumb joint - otherwise people will end up with very sore thumbs.
It is not unusual for support people to resort to using the ends of two wooden spoons, but it is preferable to start with using hands when possible. These acupressure points are usually used with the support person applying pressure using their knuckles on both shoulders together, but I know of women who have successfully used this on themselves using only one shoulder at a time.
The pressure can be applied at the beginning of each contraction or continual gentle pressure applied that is intensified during contractions.
This acupressure point has a descending action to aide the first and second stages of labour and can stimulate uterine contractions.

This acupressure point is to be used with caution during pregnancy

original site: http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/Acupressure/gb-21.aspx

Accupressure for Labor Induction

The term "waters breaking" refers to the rupture of the membranes surrounding the baby and the gush or the leaking of amniotic fluid through the vagina. Although a significant sign of early labour, labour will not always automatically commence. Due to a possible risk of infection a medical induction will be considered if labour does not establish spontaneously.
Women need to notify their midwife or doctor immediately if their waters are discoloured that is, if they notice a brownish /greenish appearance to the amniotic fluids.
If a woman's membranes have ruptured Hegu L.I.-4, Sanyinjiao SP-6 and Ciliao BL-32 can be used to help establish labour.

Hegu L.I.-4 can be used in combination with Sanyinjiao SP-6 with the woman or her support person applying firm pressure to each point for several minutes at hourly or 2 hourly intervals. All four acupressure points can be used, or for practical purposes Hegu LI.-4 on one hand can be used in combination with the Sanyinjiao SP-6 point of the opposite leg. This combination can be repeated 1- 2 hours later starting with Hegu L.I.-4 on the opposite hand.

Ciliao BL-32 can also be used in combination with Hegu L.I.-4 and Sanyinjiao SP-6 with the support person applying firm downward stokes from Ciliao BL-32 through to the buttocks for 5 minutes once or twice a day

Acupressure Prior To A Medical Induction

If it is seen as necessary by a woman's midwife or doctor to medically induce labour the use of acupressure as outlined above can be commenced three days prior to the medical induction. The aim of the acupressure is to help establish contractions and promote cervical dilation. Even if labour does not commence spontaneously, feedback from midwives suggest that a woman's cervix is more favourable following acupressure and that there is an increased chance of a woman progressing through the induction with minimal intervention.

Acupressure For A Social Induction

Social induction is a term I use to indicate that women are interested in trying to induce labour around their due date for personal reasons. For example to coincide with a family member visiting or their partner's work commitments.
It must be remembered that due dates do not actually indicate the exact day that a baby will be born. It is only an indication of when a baby is due, in reality it is estimated that only 4% of babies will actually arrive on their due date.
While acupressure can be seen as more "natural" than a medical induction it is still an intervention. I would caution any women attempting to induce their labour for any reason other than on a recommendation by her doctor or midwife. The mechanisms that lie behind labour commencing are complex and while acupressure may be helpful in stimulating contractions this does not guarantee labour will progress efficiently.

original site http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/Acupressure/induce.aspx

How to prepare your dog for the new baby

Ever wonder what it’s like for your “first baby” (your dog) when your new (human) baby comes along?

We’ve heard stories of sweet as well as challenging behavior as dogs adjust to a new baby, and wondered if it’s possible to avoid problems like anxious and even dangerous behavior. So we asked an expert on the topic for her insight and advice.

Jill Haley Rose, CPDT-KA has been a professional dog trainer and canine behavior consultant for the past ten years. She ran her own business, Paws of Nature Family Dog Training & Behavior Consulting in San Francisco, and now works as Training Programs Coordinator for the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society in Springfield, Massachusetts. She offers a variety of training classes and educational workshops, including Dogs and Storks, Preparing the Family Dog for Life with Baby ( find a presenter in your area).

Why is it important to prepare a dog for the arrival of a new baby?

In many families, the dog was the first and only “baby.” Once the new human baby arrives, the dog’s daily structure, routines, and relationship with the parents of the new baby will change. Dogs thrive on consistency and routine. Abrupt and extreme changes can create anxiety which may lead to a variety of behavior problems. By preparing ahead, expectant parents can gradually teach the dog how life will be different, but that different will still be good.

What problems could arise if a dog hasn’t spent much time around babies?

Dogs who have had little or no experience can react in a variety of ways towards an infant in the home. Most dogs will exhibit some level of stress and anxiousness and may cope by avoiding the baby as much as possible. Other dogs may become over stimulated by the infant’s movements and cries and want to investigate. This can range from just extreme curiosity to potentially unsafe behaviors such as becoming hyper aroused, jumping at, and trying to physically get near the infant.

What is the arrival of a new baby like from a dog’s perspective?

It varies a lot based on how much if any preparation the parents did to help the dog get ready. Has the dog had any previous experience with babies or toddlers? Was it a good experience or was it a situation where a baby was allowed to crawl and sit on top of dog and bounce around? So many people assume their dogs “love kids or love babies” but in reality most are just tolerating what is going on and don’t necessarily enjoy the interactions. Dogs have their breaking point just like people do.

For most dogs, a new baby initially brings about a certain amount of anxiousness. Their humans are acting differently now, which affects them too. The dog is no longer the center of attention and sometimes isn’t getting any attention at all. This is such an important moment to start creating a positive association to the new infant. A tired and euphoric new parent may not realize that they are yelling at their dog every time they have the baby in their arms. What sort of association is now being made? The dog perceives: “Whenever that little wiggly creature is around, I get yelled at or sent away!”

Can you share a few tips for preparing a dog in advance of the arrival of a new baby, and for introducing the new baby?

One of the first things I recommend is coming up with at least three places you can confine the dog in your home. This could be a cozy dog crate or den (as I like to call it), a room that can be closed off, a fenced back yard, or an indoor tether next to a comfy dog bed. If the dog currently isn’t used to some of these things, then it’s important to start training the dog as soon as possible. Using lots of positive reinforcement, the dog will learn that these places are great places to be. I recommend at least three places because you’ll want to rotate the dog from one “success station” to the next, so they are not always stuck in the same environment. Success stations always equal yummy bones or exciting puzzle toys!

Another area to work on is strengthening obedience training - in particular sit, down, and stay. Most dogs who have had some basic training will respond when their person is in that “trainer’s stance” – standing tall, looking down at them. Can your dog respond when you are seated? When you are reclining? When you are seated or reclining with a baby in your arms? Will they sit, down, and stay using verbal cues without any hand signals? Remember, your hands will be occupied soon! Practice now and reward your dog generously as he learns to respond to you no matter what position you are in or when your arms are full.

So many parents worry about that moment of bringing the baby home for the first time. It really should be a non-event. In fact, if either parent is feeling unsure and uncomfortable, there is no reason the dog needs to meet the baby that day, or the next, or that week even. Moms especially need to be focused on rest and recovery so if they would feel better having the dog stay a few days or a week with a friend, family member, or at a dog boarding facility, that is perfectly alright.

If they want to start introductions right away, I like to have Mom go in the house first, without the baby. Her hormones have changed a lot and the dog will need a little time to sniff and get accustomed to her new scent. The dog may have not seen her for a few days or even longer so he will be especially excited to greet her. After Mom has had a few minutes with the dog, the partner or another family member can bring in the baby in the car seat.

Set the baby up high on a table and stand near as the dog first gets accustomed to the new scent and sounds. The dog should have a leash attached that someone can gently grab ahold of if he is getting too exuberant to see the new baby. If the dog is doing well at this point, then one of the parents may remove and hold the infant. Ask the dog to sit frequently and give lots of praise for good behavior. There is no reason the dog has to actually have contact with the infant at this point. You’re just starting off with getting the dog used to visually seeing the infant while practicing good manners and getting lots of praise and tasty treats. The parents can also allow the dog to sniff some clothes or blankets the baby was wearing. There is no need to rush into anything. Go day by day and only within your comfort zone, based on how well your dog has been responding.

What are some warning signs that a dog is experiencing stress because of the new baby?

Dogs may exhibit one or many signs that they are feeling stress. It may be from the presence of the new baby or it could be from the changes happening within the household such as changes in sleeping, play, and exercise routines. If the household didn’t have many visitors before the baby came, and now there is a steady stream of visitors, that can cause stress for some dogs as well. Some signs of stress may be excessive yawning or scratching for no apparent reason, frequent lip or nose licking, panting heavily, pacing, and trembling.

You know your dog better than anyone else. If your dog starts exhibiting behaviors that you’ve never seen before, it very well could be stress related. If you have any concerns, you should contact a certified trainer or behaviorist. They can come to the home and do an in-home behavior consultation and evaluation of the dog and come up with a behavior modification plan or other options that will work for your family.

Expectant families can find an approved and licensed Dogs and Storks presenter in their area by going to the Family Paws Parent Education site. There they can find a lot of free informational resources there as well as listen to webinars and podcasts.

By tanya ⋅ February 16, 2012

Original post on Motherlove

site: http://motherloveblog.com/2012/02/16/how-to-prepare-your-dog-for-your-new-baby/