What is happening?

Where do I start....

I have just decided to take my life in a new direction and follow a career path that has been my passion for the past 12 years or so. I am not doing this to make money but just so I have the accreditation that people might listen to what I say because right now I am just a mom.

I am just astounded again at the way our world is moving towards. Recently I have read articles where a doctor wants to ban husbands from the delivery room. On some levels maybe this would be a good thing because of some of the self-centered, egotistical, paranoid, non-helpful dads...lol But I really don’t like blanket statements. If we teach our children that birth, pregnancy, breastfeeding and women’s vaginas are bad then that is what they will take into birth. Educating our children that this is a normal part of life would make a huge difference. Coddling the attitude that men are bad in the labour room just adds to the stereotype that men will follow.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25804208-36398,00.html


Then I was reading another article where a professor had declared that breastfeeding isn’t really all that good anyways. I mean like WTF... So feeding our children HUMAN milk isn't really best? Saying that formula (which by the way is legal to contain melamine) is just as good. I guess at one point the man who did the study has also done research for Nestle. Nestle is one of the worst offenders for breaking the WHO code of ethics for breast milk substitutes. Do you think that the research will be somewhat biased? I haven’t read the whole study and it could be a typical media thing to skew his findings to suit their purpose. This has happened many times in the past, and unfortunately people don’t ever question it.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25818342-36398,00.html

Then in Australia they are in effect trying to make it illegal for a midwife to attend a homebirth, even though homebirths have been proven to be no less of a risk than a hospital birth. Homebirths have been proven to have less likelihood of a C-section and interventions overall. Of course as a woman who has had 5 homebirths I am a little biased towards this anyways. It just makes me wonder why countries, people and whatever else feel so threatened by homebirths? I mean let’s take a look at some logic... The percentage of women who choose to have a homebirth is relatively small. It has been growing over the years and maybe that is why officials are getting a little bit scared. In fact they should be asking why women are choosing to have babies born at home instead of the hospital.... Could it be because we are NOT SICK? Why wouldn’t they be more concerned with people who are druggies, drunk drivers, even women who smoke while pregnant or in a fricking car with an infant and the windows rolled up? My theory is that governments tend to only get really concerned when people choose something that is healthy.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2501831.htm


If you think about all the issues that are going on right now concerning a natural lifestyle you can see this type of lifestyle is under fire. They don’t want a healthy population. I mean why should a woman nurse her child? Why should birth not be treated like a disease and full of interventions and medications? Why make birth nice and calming for the mother? Why make birth healthier for the infant? Most people don’t question the information they read, it is on the news it must be true. What happens when you research the news article and find out that what they reported is like reading every 10th word in a study? I mean it was information that was written in the study but it is all taken out of context.

What is happening in the world right now really needs to concern everyone. Your freedom is slowly being taken away and most people aren’t even realizing it. You just plod along in your life and go with whatever “The Man” deems necessary. Why?????????

Pretty hectic farm life!

Well the past 2 months have been a bit crazy for me....

I sprained my ankle almost 2 months ago and it is still tough to bear weight at times. Then a week after that the flu hit our household and has been meandering around for the past 6 weeks as everyone slowly got it. Then at the beginning of April my cat had kittens. Then 10 days later I needed to rush her into an Emergency Vet Clinic because she had mastitis and milk fever.... I ended up taking her out of there a day and $1200 later because they wanted another $2000 to do a mastectomy on her. So I brought her home and much to their surprise she survived and lived and went on to get a mastectomy done at my regular vet clinic for a quarter of the price. Then a few days after that I lost one of her kittens I think due to aspiration pneumonia.... then someone close to me needed to have fluid from her heart drained....yikes... what an emotional past couple of months.

We are now entering lambing season. I have had 7 ewes lamb and I am waiting on 9 more. Yesterday was a tough day. I thought I was going to lose one of my ewes. She is a small breed, a Shetland, and I think the ram that bred her was not the Shetland ram. She seemed to be stuck labouring and pushing for hours. I finally intervened and could feel the baby was stuck. Her pelvic bone was just small and her cervix was swollen. My husband and I tried for an hour to get the lamb out. We resigned ourselves to the fact that it was probably dead and her life was worth more than the lamb. So I phoned our vet to come out and help. She said if the lamb was dead she would probably have to cut off its head to help get it out... It was big...

So I told my husband we will just let the ewe be for the next hour until the vet arrived. She was looking a little peckish so I got one of my kids to bring me out the Bach's rescue remedy. I gave her some and left to go to the house to get some warm water and molasses. When I got back low and behold there was a little nose, mouth and the 2 front feet visible. So I phoned the vet back because now we had something to grab onto. She said the help her with the birth. So I watched and waited. Not much more movement. I knew this was a big lamb just by the thickness of its legs.

So I reached in and helped stretch her vagina over the head of the lamb. She strained a few more times and nothing. So I gently grabbed the feet and the scruff of the neck and pulled every time she contracted. It was tough.... but out came a living ram lamb. He was huge!

So then I noticed her straining again. I was sure she was going to deliver the placenta when all of a sudden out pops a nose! I am like holy crap... At least this baby looked smaller than the first one. Since she just birthed a huge lamb we thought this one would be a breeze. So we leave the lean-to to find another ewe had just had a little ram lamb. That is how I like lambing season...

So we take some pics and go back in to check on my small ewe. Not much has changed. So my husband then holds her so I can check what is going on. One of the front legs are bent back by the body... That is not good and usually causes problems. So I had to pull on her too. Out came a beautiful small ewe lamb!

Later on in the night both ewes passed their placentas and all 3 lambs are nursing well. Then I wake up this morning to another set of twins that were born during the night. That is how it should be...

Here are some pictures of the latest addition to Willowtopia Acres...

Breastfeeding and being sick

Well my poor little tot is sick. He has a cold and is just not feeling well. We have been eating some foods that we aren't used to and I can tell that it had an impact on his immune system. I knew he was getting sick because he started to nurse lots again.

I am not a big believer in using OTC drugs for such things as colds or much of anything. At night time he is getting really wheezy and coughing. He always asks for booby. Within 5 minutes of him nursing his wheeziness is gone and he isn't coughing anymore. Isn't that awesome. Also my body should be producing antibodies for his illness. What an amazing process and to think it is free and healthy. No worrying about him getting an overdose either.

Some days my body just puts me in awe.... I really wish more women would be as concerned with what their body can do in ways to nurture and keep their children healthy instead of being worried about what society thinks.

Positivity and the things it can do.

I plan on being a stuck record from now on about being positive. Oh what comes from reading….lol… Seriously though I am learning so much about myself and my life and I am coming to the realization that I am the reason as to what has happened both positive and negative in my life. Firstly I will say that I do not like playing victim. Dwelling in negativity is like having poison spreading all over your system. The more you think negative thoughts the more it pollutes your mind and body. Being positive is healthier for us as people and a society.

When I look back on what has ever happened to me, I can usually find somewhere along the line a thought that had popped into my mind and became reality. Even as far as what is happening in my personal life right now. That is pretty powerful isn’t it but kind of scary. To think that good and bad, what has happened to me has been a thought that I have thought. Most people will not want to believe that because it puts the responsibility for their life squarely on their shoulders. I guess it is a good thing I have pretty broad shoulders.

It is hard to change our thought process especially if we are surrounded by lots of negativity. I am really going to try and get out of that rut and into a better path, one that will be healthier for me, my family and the world. I can just see all the eyes rolling…. But honestly it doesn’t matter, I can’t make someone else change I can only change myself. It took me a long time to realize that and it is an eye-opener.

Some of the books I am reading right now are The Secret, The Power of Positive Thinking, The Four Agreements and the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The common theme amongst these books is that you are in control of your destiny. If you think you will succeed you will, plain and simple.

Feeling good about you is also a big part of the whole process. Surround yourself with positive people. Positivity is contagious and is so much healthier for you. Start off with something simple like waking up in the morning saying it will be a good day and believing it. It is like a small seed that can grow into a beautiful tree… omg… what a cliché…lol.. It is true though.

There are more books on this out there and if anyone has some good ones to suggest let me know. As some of you know I like or love books and am a bit of a collector….

What I love.....

Due to recent comments I thought it only fitting that I post to my blog the things that I love.

I love my husband and my children unconditionally.
I love that my children are all unique and special.
I love that I do not feel the need to fix my children as they are not broken.
I love my life, really I do.
I love the fact that people can leave comments about my children so that my kids can read them and learn how people really feel about them.
I love the fact that I have the most awesomest friends who are concerned about me and my family.
I love the fact that I can read comments left to me from said friends and it makes me cry and my heart swell to know that some people do really care.
I love the fact that I am willing to stand up for what I believe in even though it might alienate me from others in my life whom I wish would just be as kind to me as they are to strangers or acquaintances.
I love the fact that my husband is my number one fan and is there to hug me when I am feeling down due to my heart grieving over how inconsiderate certain people can be.
I love my children who have inherited my passion for reading.
I love writing my feelings down because it helps get things off of my chest instead of letting it fester like a bad zit.

I am trying to be a positive person. It is hard and it takes work. I am trying to change how I think things.

Give it a rest.

What do those words imply? The context in which it was said to me was because I am standing up for what I believe in. I was told to give it a rest. I should not do anything if I feel something isn’t right. I should just sit back and go with the flow even if every cell in my body is screaming that it is wrong. I should just be like everyone else and never try and make a change. I guess change is threatening and it makes people actually think… Holy crap! What a concept actually thinking instead of just going with the flow and not trying to make a difference.

I think that women should be able to breastfeed without being ogled or told to cover up. I think that the way media and our lovely western culture portrays breasts is unhealthy and unnatural. I am going to post pictures of me nursing my children. Why posting pictures of me nursing my children is offensive but yet people can send pictures of women with their boobs flopped out in all sorts of positions and think that’s okay…. Oh right…. Breasts are for sexual gratification and nothing else…. Also why should I try and normalize and question breastfeeding…. I forgot… that is right don’t rock the boat. Everything in our society is awesome… give me a break…

Another thing I get told to give it a break on are my thoughts on circumcising. That is something you don’t discuss. It is a natural thing and normal and shouldn’t be questioned… much less call attention to. Why should I try and educate people. It is all done behind closed doors… Nobody gets hurt… I mean most of the male population is cut… What kind of person am I who wants to stand up for the rights of an infant and say it is a stupid, barbaric, painful and unnecessary procedure? I should just go back into my hole and complain but not try and do anything to change it.

What about my ideas on birth…. That is the one I am most constantly told to give it a rest…. How dare I think that birth is something normal and not some medical procedure? I shouldn’t be telling anyone of my experiences. I should just let women think that doctors are gods and that it is only because of the fact that they were in the hospital that all these problems were dealt with…. When they tell me of their problems and I say that I never had them in my homebirths all I get is you were lucky…. Lucky… maybe I was but could it be because I didn’t have 50 different hands up my vagina? Maybe it was because they didn’t pop my water sac or pull on the cord to try and get the placenta out. Maybe it was because my kids were placed at my breast immediately after birth and got to smell their mom. Also the fact that their cord was left attached so they were still getting oxygen and all the blood from the placenta… What am I thinking… Putting my babies in danger…. How come I have 6 healthy babies and the only one who ever had any issues after birth that needed to be in the NICU was my baby that was born in the hospital???? Weird…

I guess I should be like the rest of the masses out their and sit on my ass complaining how bad things are and where is the world going. I can run my mouth off and talk about what needs to happen but how dare I actually do anything about it. What do you teach your kids then? I love the fact that my kids can think. I love the fact that I can talk to them about so many different subjects like circumcision, breastfeeding and birth. Also politics and war are topics that we discuss as well. Am I going to be mad that my children learn how to think for themselves and act upon what they think is right? No way… I will be proud that I raised some kids who will try to make a difference in the world instead of sitting back and accepting something as normal even though they know it isn’t. I want kids who won’t be scared to stand up for what they believe in and are willing to do, not just give it a rest.

Our country and our world would be such a different place if people never stood up for what they believed in and chose instead to give it a rest.

Breastfeeding and my take on it.

As I sit here typing this I am currently nursing my 26 month old son. If you would have asked me 11 years ago if I would be nursing a toddler I would have said hell no. This is all the conditioning on the part of my generation. We are taught that breasts are for men and that to feed any child past 6 months old is just gross. At least that is what I learned growing up in the 80's and 90's.

I was not breastfed as a baby. Back then nursing wasn't the "in" thing. I mean even though it makes sense to feed your child human milk, formula was a big thing back then. I had a dairy allergy as well so I was told I grew up on Apricot Nectar with calcium drops. I was told that propping the bottle for feeding was the best thing as well because there was too much to do.

I didn't have much experience with breastfeeding as I grew up either. My one cousin nursed her babies and I thought that was the neatest thing. She also had these breast cups that would catch all the milk in her bra when she would get let down and she wasn't nursing. I also remember seeing someone in the hospital who was a first time mom and what happened when a lactation consultant came in. It was quite stressful to me because there seemed to be so many rules to nursing. I thought that wouldn't you just stick the baby to your breast and they should know what to do.

When I had my first son things didn’t go as well as I had expected. I had to go get a drip for not going into active labour and my water had been broke for 24 hours. He was whisked off to the NICU where they gave him a bottle of formula. This caused many problems with nursing. I had scabs on my nipples for 6 weeks. I needed to take pain medication before I could nurse him. He had severe nipple confusion from getting that bottle before getting my breast. Finally the pain went away and our breastfeeding relationship was established. Of course then you get the comments about how he needs to have water too and you need to give him pablum to get him to sleep through the night. All these well-meaning comments simply undermine the process of breastfeeding.

It saddens me that most women don’t know anything about breastfeeding. They give up to easily because they have no support. Some women I know look at me nursing and say well it wasn’t as easy for me as it is for you. I will tell them what I also had to endure. That it wasn’t easy for me either. Also chances are if they had a hospital birth their baby was given formula. Giving formula when you are nursing a newborn is awful. They get something called nipple confusion. When a baby sucks on your breast the action of their tongue is what stimulates the letdown. When a baby sucks on a bottle they are sucking like you would a straw. So when a baby first gets a bottle and not mom’s breast they get confused. So then when they get put on the breast after finally figuring out how to suck the milk out of a bottle now the confusion is greater.

Also when a baby is first breastfed the amount of colostrum they get isn’t very much. That is how it is meant to be. The colostrum is like the supermilk. So when a baby gets a lot of formula instead of colostrum they get doubly confused, not just from the bottle but from the taste of the formula.

As I went on to have more kids nursing got easier. I learned a few things just from watching my kids and listening to my body. A few points I will give are based on my personal experience.

When someone tells you that you are doing it wrong it undermines your whole nursing experience. It makes you feel like a failure. It affects your milk supply and how you hold your baby because you are getting stressed that you are doing it wrong.

All 6 of my kids would be considered lazy latchers, every single one of them. They never opened their mouth so flipping wide to take in my whole areola. They liked to just have my nipple and a little bit of my areola in their mouth. This stimulated my letdown, my kids gained weight and were happy. Do any of these experts think that all babies are different and moms are different and boobies are different? Nope they don’t… what works for one must work for all. I know why women give up… it can be frustrating being told that you don’t know what you are doing.

Another thing is that having a baby suck on your breast is like having a commercial vacuum cleaner attached to it. I remember the first time and I really wasn’t prepared. Now your nipples will be sensitive and it may hurt. I like to compare nursing a newborn if you haven’t done it for a while to not wearing shoes on gravel. It will feel odd the first few times. Eventually you get used to it and eventually the skin toughens up so it isn’t painful. With all of my other kids the first week my nipples were sore but so what. We are women and we are tough. I know that they say nursing shouldn’t be painful but tell that to some of my animals…. They get scabs on their nipples too… I guess we need some ewe experts to teach them how to nurse “properly”.

Now some people like to talk about how animals don’t have problems nursing and it is easy for them…. Well have these people actually ever seen animals nursing right from scratch. I know with our livestock it varies from one mom to the next. It also varies from one baby to another. So if it is different for animals why do humans think they are so special and there is only one way that fits all?

I think that our society needs to help moms with breastfeeding. I think it needs to be seen as something normal and not obscene. I think it needs to be supported and not managed like everything else today. I think that women shouldn’t be made to feel bad because baby hasn’t read the breastfeeding book and isn’t an expert. I think that encouragement and not condemnation should be the norm. I think that be able to talk to someone who had to work at breastfeeding is also a good thing. There are no prizes for being a super-mommy.

I have successfully nursed my children for a combined total of 102 months or 8.5 years. I wish I would have been more educated with my first two and tried to let them nurse past 9 months. All I can do right now is let people know that breastfeeding is normal and if they can’t get over the sexuality of breasts then maybe that is their problem.