Nityanavina's Birth
Tue, 08/17/2010 - 23:06 | 
anangamanjari 
I'd been having "cramps" throughout Sunday night, Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day, but didn't want to bother my husband about it. We started counting contractions at 6:30am, on Monday, although I was totally skeptical that it was indeed labor. Bhagavan felt it was time to leave to the Delaware Birth Center, by 8:30am. He was convinced things would progress rapidly. The midwives were about an hour away from us. We arrived at the center at 9:30am and things began to really progress after that. But I was still in denial. I didn't want my contractions to end up slowing down, suddenly.
I immediately changed and got checked out. I was measuring almost 6cm and contractions were 5 mins apart. A lil' bit later I got onto the birth ball, and Bhagavan began massaging my lower back and allowing me to crush his hand with every contraction. I'd been crushing his hand since we were in the car. Marisa, the midwife, suggested I move into a new position and try out the Jacuzzi.
Navakishore's Birth
Tue, 08/17/2010 - 23:01 | anangamanjari 
I had been on maternity leave for 5 days and was feeling a little restless having been used to working in a fast-paced environment for years. Luckily, my husband had been spending as much time with me as possible by scheduling his clients around our lives rather than scheduling our lives around them. My official “due date” was the following day, but I was no longer expecting baby to arrive “on time” since this was my first birth and my best friend had been 2 weeks overdue with her first. I had originally asked baby to arrive the Sunday that had just passed. Did he listen? Nope. But little did I know he was well on his way.
I'd been having some pelvic/groin soreness for the past 2 days. I woke up that morning to go to my scheduled midwife appt. I waddled my way to the bathroom where I've been spending quite a bit of "quality" time (if you catch my drift) for the past 2 days. I discovered something I was beginning to pass my mucus plug! Soon after I began feeling some surges (contractions).
How to Wear Your Baby On Your Front
Wearing your baby benefits both both you and your child. It regulates the body temperature and is what comes closest to being in the womb. Baby get to hear your heart beat and has a sense of safety and closeness.
 |
From birth, you can wear your baby in the front carrying position. This carry allows you to be close with your baby, nurse your baby and still get things done like housework, shopping, taking care of your family, etc. To begin, tie the bottom waist straps to your waist, leaving the body in front of you. |
Should I Write a Birth Plan?
There are two sides to every issue, and birth planning is no exception. On the one hand are those who encourage you to become a part of the decision making for labor and birth; while on the other hand are those who remind you labor cannot be scripted. Both sides are right, both sides have important information to share, but where does that leave you on the issue of writing a birth plan?
There are four key things to recognize about birth plans before you choose to write or not write your preferences for labor. Understanding these things will help you to be a part of the decision making process for giving birth, while allowing you to be flexible enough to handle whatever challenges labor has for you.
Rites of Passage
Rites of Passage for Mothers and Daughters - What Does It Mean and How to Celebrate By Louise Racine
Rites of passage have been celebrated by many cultures throughout history. They are generally held to mark the transition from one life stage to another -– birth, adulthood, death and the various phases in between. The way that these events are recognized differs from culture to culture. Certain traditions have religious origins, such as baptisms and bar mitzvah’s, while others are more secular in nature. In some societies, rites of passage may be intense and prolonged, and can include a period of seclusion from the community with personal challenges to overcome. However, rites do not have to be dramatic or severe to be effective.
The doorstep to adolescence
While we do celebrate many events in today’s society, we don’t commonly refer to them as rites of passage. Nor do we acknowledge certain milestones as our ancestors may have done. For instance, rites of passage for young boys and girls who are entering puberty are not commonly celebrated though there is merit to doing so.