Oh, Sure. I Had an Orgasm Too When I Was Giving Birth.

Well it wasn't really an orgasm, per se...but you probably couldn't tell it by listening to me. There were a lot of, "Oh, God"s and "Ahh ahh"s.

I gave birth naturally and was seduced by the notion of an orgasmic birth, which I read about in our childbirth bible, Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way.

Such bliss. Ending ones pregnancy in the same way it began. If only 'twer twu.

While I was not so lucky as to experience this Heavenly gift, there are plenty of women who have brought their babies into this world while cheering "O". (I know, sounds a lot like cheerio, but there are only so many ways to say "orgasm" so bear with me).

A new documentary, Orgasmic Birth, is set to premier on May 16 in Prague China. For a little preview, visit the film's webpage or check out ABC's 20/20. According to Midwifery Today, 20/20 will air its piece on May 16 as well, but I haven't seen confirmation of that on ABC's site. Just keep a look out.

And, if you have any tales of wild, passionate, birthing, by all means, share them here! On second thought, maybe just a nice comment saying that you too are intrigued by this notion and will happily visit the filmmaker's website would suffice.

Spreadin' the Word: Yogurt and Rice

A couple of days ago I was grocery shopping and went to the YoBaby yogurt section, which is never with the "normal" yogurt and I have to hunt it down any time I go into a new store....But I digress. So, I found the YoBaby. And, there was something new there:

It's organic yogurt made with 1% milk fat and they've added folic acid, DHA, and vitamin D. Just some of the things that pregnant and nursing Mommy's need. I'm still nursing Bitty Baby, so I picked some up to check it out. It's quite yummy! It only comes in packs of four, though, which can get expensive, so don't forget your coupon!

 

Also, I've been checking out this absolutely wonderful digital scrapbooking blog and I learned about a site that will donate rice to the World Food Program based on how many vocabulary words you get right from a little vocab quiz they give you. Actually, it's pretty addictive. It gives you progressively more difficult words until you start getting them wrong and generates what level you are. You can just keep playing and playing and playing trying to increase your level, all the while rice is being donated for each correct word you choose. Very cool. FreeRice.com

 

Baby Birthmarks

My three month old was born with an "Angel's Kiss," which is a warm and fuzzy way of saying that she has a birthmark between her eyebrows that kind of looks like someone with too much lipstick gave her a big smooch on her head. It's barely noticeable now, except when she get's really mad and her whole face gets red, but shortly after her birth I remember my mom asking me how it got there. All I remembered was the midwife saying something about blood vessels.

She's had some other abnormalities, too, including a white spot in the center of her pupil which we later learned is a type of cataract and will most likely be harmless.

As a mother, I have always wondered if there were things that I did during my pregnancy that may have led to these various imperfections. I know I was much more conscientious during my first pregnancy, and that baby came out fine. But, I didn't smoke, didn't consume any alcohol, rarely drank soda, and exercised occasionally. True, I had an insatiable sweet tooth that I kept feeding, and I did enjoy some green tea occasionally.

This evening I happened across an article citing research suggesting that lack off oxygen to the placenta may be the culprit behind my baby's birthmark. Aha! So it is my fault. Did I not sleep on my left side enough? What did I do wrong?

My baby is still beautiful, and I'm swear she is absolutely the sweetest baby on the planet...always smiling and cooing. But, I feel tremendous guilt that I didn't take better care of my body, and my baby, during my pregnancy. No, I can't go back in time and try to do things better. In fact there's nothing I can do now except feel like crap.

Bye Bye Plastic!

According to a recent Newsweek article, more and more parents are opting for "greener" bottling alternatives, such as glass, rather than the popular plastic ones used most often today. A major concern is that Bisphenol A (BPA), which is found in many plastics, may have long-term health consequences in young children.

Manufacturers and retailers are responding to this new demand by including more bottling options in their product lines and on their shelves. Evenflo and Dr. Brown's are both currently offering glass bottles. Or, if you can't get passed the idea of using something as old-fashioned as glass, BornFree bottles are plastic bottles made without BPA. Not surprisingly, these alternatives come with a higher price tag (not that you can really put a price tag on the safety of our little ones).

So far, the jury is still out on whether or not the levels of BPA exposure from using plastic bottles are high enough to do any harm, but the CDC has found that children incur the greatest amount of exposure to the chemical, followed by adolescents and then adults.

I'm not usually one to run out and follow the latest trends, but suddenly glass bottles don't seem like such a bad idea.