Stand and Deliver: September 2015

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Bookworm takes a nap

Sometimes when you're two, you just need to take a nap. Even if you're in the middle of a book.

We're full-swing into the school year. Zari and Dio are playing soccer, which means practice and two games every week. I've tamed our gardens back into shape and have spread 10 cubic yards of mulch so far (and I am still not done!).

I submitted a grant application a few weeks ago to develop an international breech training course. I don't hear back until the new year whether my application will be chosen. Crossing my fingers!

Dinner tonight is Peruvian chicken with spicy mayonnaise and tarte au chocolat for dessert. I can feel the habanero pepper oil on my hands, even though I tried my best not to touch them.

Ivy is really mad that I woke her up. Poor thing. If I let her nap, though, she won't go to bed on time. She's gone through some major transitions since we came back from France: she's completely done with diapers AND she is sleeping through the night. Woohoo!

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Help Midwives for Haiti at The Amazing Raise

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with the amount of suffering and need around the world? Sometimes I feel paralyzed because I don't know where to start and wonder if my small efforts will do any good.

Here's something you can do today (and only today!) to help a new birth center in rural Haiti:

Donate $50 or more before 6 pm today (Thursday) to help Midwives for Haiti purchase a vehicle for emergency transports.

Here's the medical director explaining how and why you can help:

Help our rural birth center get an emergency vehicle... and help us win $15,000 in the Amazing Raise! from Midwives For Haiti on Vimeo.

To learn more about the organization, visit Midwives for Haiti

Tuesday, September 08, 2015

Did you have a breech baby? Please participate in this short survey

To anyone who has had a breech baby:

Three consumer advocacy groups are working together to improve access and informed choice for women seeking a vaginal breech birth. In order to ensure that our efforts are meeting women's needs, we would like to know how you were impacted by your breech birth experience. All breech experiences are important, even if you didn't have a vaginal breech birth (whether that was your choice, or for other reasons). Your personal information will remain confidential. We intend to present this as a collection of experiences and analyze for trends.

Please complete this short survey if you birthed a breech baby any way. Responses are required by September 15th in order that we compile them in anticipation of a scheduled meeting with the decision makers at the Ottawa General Hospital who are presently writing the breech protocols for care providers. Thank you for your participation!

Here's where you can find out more about the groups involved in this project:

The Coalition for Breech Birth - contact Robin
The Informed Choice Coalition - contact Wendy
Mothers of Change - contact Céline

To take the survey, click here.

Please share this link widely! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8GX7HC3

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

BeliBea Nourish pumping & nursing bra

How many of you have ever tried to nurse and pump at the same time...or pump hands-free? (Me!)

I wasn't very successful because I'd end up slouching over and holding the pump flanges with my forearm while I tried to use my "free" arm to read or check email. Once, in desperation, I cut slits in an old bra that I had outgrown. Voila! A functonal but very inelegant hands-free pumping bra! Of course I couldn't really *wear* it outside the house because hello, I had two slits smack dab in the middle of my bra. It looked rather funny.

I've also tried a different brand of hands-free pumping bra, one of those huge contraptions that covers your entire torso like a gigantic Ace bandage. They work, but they certainly don't resemble a normal bra. And they are only for pumping--not for nursing.

I was excited to try out a BeliBea Nourish bra: it's a nursing bra AND a hands-free pumping bra (or both at the same time).

So here's how it works:

It looks like a regular nursing bra...(ignore my flat-chested mannequin!)

But when you unhook the clasp, you find a second layer inside. It's a hands-free pumping bra!

If you unhook both layers, it turns into a nursing bra!

The BeliBea also has removeable molded inserts.

My thoughts on the BeliBea

Great idea having the two sets of clasps. It solves the problem of how to have a pumping bra without having a big slit showing in the middle of each cup! Because it's actually designed like a normal bra, rather than a corset-like contraption, you could easily wear it night or day.

I don't like molded or padded bras, so I promptly took the pads out. I don't need any more cleavage thankyouverymuch! So another thumbs up for having removable pads.

I wish this bra were less expensive. It's a great idea: comfortable, functional, practical. But over my almost 9 years of nursing, I've never spent more than about $15 on a nursing bra. (Or a non-nursing bra for that matter.) Perhaps some day I will discover the joys of expensive underthings...

The BeliBea is very stretchy. It comes in just four sizes (S to XL) so each size accommodates several band and cup sizes. It's very comfortable, but also less supportive than the bras I'm used to wearing. Ever since I became pregnant with Zari, I have had to wear underwire. I'd say that this bra would be fine for everyday use if you're an A or B cup. Beyond that, it's not supportive enough for daytime use. (I'm currently between a C and a D.) It feels like my favorite sleep bras.

Right now, the BeliBea Nourish only comes in a pale nude color. It would be great to at least one darker tone (and perhaps a few basic colors down the road) for all those mamas who aren't of Scandinavian ancestry :)

More about BeliBea