We are a site devoted to moms, however I know we have lots of daddy readers and today I say to you-
Happy Father’s Day!!
And especially to the two best daddies on the planet.
Mine:
and my son’s and baby bump’s:
The greatest thing a FATHER can do to his children, is to love their mother.
– Anjaneth Garcia Untalan
I love you both so much! Happy Father’s Day!
I just spent twenty minutes inflating my “birthing ball.” Technically, it’s just a balance ball or stability ball, however they are very useful during the days leading up to labor and during labor itself.
The hospital where I delivered my 2 year old son recommended I bring my own ball in case the ones they had were all being used. I still love the image of my husband and me in active labor walking the long city blocks to the hospital with the suitcase, boom bucket, and birthing ball in our arms, stopping every few minutes for me to bounce.
Little did we know that ball would be FAR more useful after we brought our newborn home. I remember my sister saying there was no use buying a glider or rocking chair when babies love the stability ball, so in one of those “witching hour” moments when absolutely nothing would stop my baby from crying, my husband held him in his arms and bounced on the ball.
It was magic.
He instantly stopped crying, and fell asleep shortly thereafter. We were amazed and overjoyed. If I had known how many hours I would spend bouncing on that darn ball, I would not have been as happy. But in that moment it was wonderful.
For the next 6 months or so, my husband and I traded off sitting and bouncing on that ball, during all hours of the day and night. It worked better than anything else we tried. I had a love/hate relationship with it, but it was miracle enough for me to know that I will use it again with this new baby.
Do you have a birthing ball? How about a deflated exercise ball gathering dust? Do you have a crying baby? Then I encourage you to get it out, puff it up, and start bouncing!
If you don’t have one, I consulted a fitness expert and found out how to choose a ball based on your size:
Each ball holds up to 600 pounds
How to choose size of ball:
He also recommended the best place to order one online- they have the best quality balls:
Perform Better Stability Balls
Happy Bouncing!
Hi Holly,
I have a question about cosleeping. I am a single parent and coslept with my boy Noakai (now 9 months) for the first 4/5 months (he always napped in his crib though)…then I began to put him in his crib at nights and would not bring him to my bed until around 5am. Suddenly around 5 weeks ago he refused to go back in his crib at 10pm (after I breastfed)…so to avoid a long battle (he just kept crying when I put him in his crib – for over 2 hours I kept picking him up and putting him down) I brought him into my bed which has continued now these whole 5 weeks….Problem is he now breastfeeds much more again…and is restless…lately a lot between midnight and 5 am and I am exhausted. I keep thinking it will change and should stick with it and be the “earthy” mother I want to be…but we need to sleep more! Is putting him back in his crib “mean” at this point? ! He will put up a fight for sure and as I have a one bedroom his crib is right next to my bed! Do you think it’s worth carrying on until he is older and can understand more or change it now? I believe he is teething right now as well…
I also wanted to ask a question about raising babies vegetarian even though they are anaemic (Noakai is)…but not sure I can ask more than one question?
Thanks!
Annabel
Hi Annabel!
Thanks for writing. While I am absolutely NO expert on co sleeping, I can only speak from the experience I’ve had for the past 2 years and 9 months, and anecdotal evidence from my sisters and others close to me.
Here’s how I feel about the whole issue…our babies needs are constantly changing and the minute you feel like you have it figured out, he’ll go and change things up on you! As you said, he’s teething now and most likely needs more comfort throughout the day and night. He will be teething until he’s two, so if it’s a difficult process for him, be prepared for a lot of sleepless nights. There will also be growth spurts, when he’ll want to feed more frequently, not to mention viruses, nightmares, and changes during the day that make him restless at night. All that being said, if co-sleeping is working for both of you, and you both wake up rested the next day (regardless of how often he wakes up to nurse) then I would keep doing it until you feel comfortable transitioning him out of your bed.
If, however, you can hardly function the next day, the benefits of co-sleeping are not worth it. He will adjust to sleeping on his own, you are not a “mean mommy” and you are doing the best you can for the health of both of you. Parenting is the hardest job we will ever face, and be very careful not to compare yourself to others, or have expectations of yourself. You are a great mother!
There are lots of great books out there on co-sleeping, and also gentle sleep training. Here are some I like:
Sleeping with Your Baby: A Parent’s Guide to Cosleeping
Good Nights: The Happy Parents’ Guide to the Family Bed (and a Peaceful Night’s Sleep!)
The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
I have a sister who has 3 teenagers, and I remember at one point they had two twin beds in their room with them, pushed up on either side of their king bed. This was before I had been exposed to it at all, so I was very intrigued. This image stuck in my head throughout the years, and when my son was about 4 months old I asked my brother-in-law about it. He said, “It’s the way to go. And don’t worry about them sleeping in their own beds- they’ll move out when they’re ready, like when they’re around 8 or 9.” I waited for him to add on “months” but he didn’t.
Here we are, 2 and a half years later, and the time has flown. In the grand scheme of life, this time in our beds is so short! I do believe all children are different, and some prefer their own sleeping space. It completely depends on the temperament. My son, who would not let me put him down in the bassinet at the hospital the day he was born, has always slept better if he is within arm’s reach of one of his parents.
To us, this has always been more convenient, as I started feeling very rested when he was 8 weeks old because I didn’t have to fully wake up to feed him while he was still nursing throughout the night, and he is so flexible when we travel. However with the imminent arrival of his co-sleeping sibling, I am curious to see how our sleeping arrangement will adapt.
Please let me know how it all works out for you, and good luck! And on those long nights when you’re wondering how on earth you’re going to survive, remember that it won’t be like this for long. Soon we’ll be laying in bed at night wondering how our children are sleeping in their college dorm room beds, or, in my sister’s case, in a bed in halfway around the world.
I know how much all of my friends love dressing their children in Tea Collection, so I have to share this tidbit:
Extra 20% Off Tea Collection Sale Items for 1 Week Only
Tea Collection, known for their globally-inspired clothing for children and women, is offering an additional 20% off already reduced styles for a limited time only! Now’s the time to enjoy an extra 20% off sale items, including dresses, pants, shirts and more!
Just enter code MSALE20 at checkout now through Monday, May 30th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time to receive this additional savings.
This super sale is good on limited quantities and they always sell out, so check it out today!
I am officially one week away from “full term” in my pregnancy, and it’s the strangest phenomenon. Sometimes I wake up and forget I’m pregnant. It’s not until I try to hoist myself out of bed that I remember- oh, yes, I’m carrying an extra 36 pounds and another human inside of me.
Speaking of 36 lbs, that’s also something I forget until I see a photograph someone has take of me and then I realize once again that I am indeed great, GREAT with child.
So since I am on the home stretch, I have added an additional supplement to my daily regime of prenatal vitamins, red raspberry leaf tea, fish oil and chia seeds:
Evening Primrose Oil
Evening Primrose is native to North America, has beautiful yellow flowers that bloom in the evening, and its oil contains gamma linoleic acid. GLA is used medicinally in the treatment of inflammation, eczema, arthritis, and PMS.
Evening Primrose Oil is also recommended by midwives for use during the last month of pregnancy to soften and thin the cervix in preparation for labor. I used this with my last pregnancy and was 100% effaced and by 37 weeks. Effacement, which is also called cervical ripening, is the process of the cervix as it softens, shortens and becomes thinner. I must believe that the Evening Primrose Oil helped, as I was a first time mom!
The essential fatty acids the oil provides are also beneficial for this stage of pregnancy, since they are anti-inflammatory and nobody wants cankles!
As with everything I write about, this is something I’ve done with success but you must consult your doctor or midwife before adding any supplement to your diet during pregnancy. If she gives you the go-ahead, let me know how it worked for you!
