Artistic maternity portraits celebrating pregnant beauty

"When I am with child, I feel beautiful...not a vain beauty, but the beauty of the might of creation growing inside of me....the undeniable truth that something so amazing could only come from the hands of a mighty God. I love seeing my belly, feeling my belly and baby, & capturing all those beautiful changes that take place." ~Trebor Sutler

My best friend, Trebor Sutler, is due any day now with her 6th baby/5th birth. She has had an incredible journey to get where she is today, having been through what she describes as 2 preventable cesareans, then a challenging but victorious hospital VBAC, then her first home waterbirth on Christmas Day 3 years ago, and now awaiting her 3rd VBA2C/HBA2C.


You can see her slideshow of her birth stories up to and including her 2008 home waterbirth here.

Trebor graciously shared her beautiful maternity portraits with us. (She photographed them herself! Isn't she multi-talented?) Trebor is always gorgeous, and I thought these photos especially captured her beauty and this special moment in her life.  Pregnant bellies are so beautiful and miraculous.

Baby's 1st outing: chiropractic adjustment

Yes, my baby's first outing was to the chiropractor's office at three days old.

I had been getting weekly chiropractic adjustments since my first trimester with this pregnancy to help optimize fetal positioning, prevent or lessen SPD, and further reduce my risk of needing a cesarean. (Although I did still have SPD, I feel that the symptoms would have been far worse and more debilitating had I not had regular chiropractic care.) I couldn't wait to go back to get adjusted again after having my baby. I knew it would feel great! My friend Dawn met me there to hold baby while I got adjusted.

I also wanted for our chiropractor to assess baby to see whether he needed adjusted. Many babies do need chiropractic adjustment after birth, whether the birth was vaginal or cesarean, but especially if it was a challenging or difficult birth. Studies have shown that chiropractic adjustment can help correct babies' latch in some instances of breastfeeding difficulties, and that it can sometimes lessen symptoms of colic and reflux.

Here's a pic of our chiropractor adjusting baby on me. (He said that babies in this position on mother's tummy are most stable and content during their adjustment.)

Baby's 1st chiropractic adjustment, 3 days old.

What have been your experiences with chiropractic during pregnancy, labor, postpartum, and/or for your babies?

Our Christmas Eve Baby: newborn portraits

I finally figured out how to make a slideshow from the newborn portraits my best friendTrebor Sutler took of our Christmas Eve baby. These photos make me melt. I've never had nice newborn pictures with our other children, and I'm so glad to have them of Baby H with his brother and sisters.

Even though Trebor was 37 weeks pregnant herself, and even though Christmas Day was her 4th child's 3rd birthday, and even though she had gotten her entire family to church on Christmas morning, and she was undoubtedly exhausted, Trebor hauled herself over to visit me and Baby H on Christmas Day in the evening so we could get some good pictures taken and she could meet my little love. What a wonderful gift. Christmas truly was blessed for us.

Countdown to Christmas Eve Baby!

About a week before Thanksgiving, my kids and I constructed an advent chain of sorts to countdown the days until Christmas, since my due date was December 25/26. This gave my kids--especially the two younger ones--a more tangible way to understand how many days remained until Christmas, and, possibly, the approximate time until our baby would arrive. Of course, I fully expected that he would arrive closer to New Year, but it was still a good countdown for the children. It also helped me cope when I began to get impatient with the remaining time to wait for baby's arrival. When I looked at these paper strips, they didn't look like many, and the chain got noticeably shorter quickly. Here's our countdown chain a few weeks ago:

What a worthwhile wait. Look at our Christmas Eve baby! I can't wait to post his birth story and the few photos I have from that adventure.

He's so long he doesn't come close to fitting in this stocking! 21 1/2"

8 lb 10 oz means nice round cheeks/jowls on my newborn!

Look how long he is! No wonder I was so uncomfortable. How did he fit inside me just yesterday???

Photography by Trebor Sutler

Red Raspberry Leaf tea/punch & popsicles

Red raspberry leaf tea has many benefits for 3rd trimester expectant mommas, but of course, consult your care provider to see if it's appropriate for you, don't sue me, etc. Here's a link where you can read about the uterine tonic and nutritional benefits of RRL tea.

My doula and monitrice friend Sarah Booten in Chicago (who is also the owner of In Bloom magazine) gave me this recipe for a tasty labor tea/punch that can also be used to make healthy labor popsicles. It has the herbal benefits (uterine tonic), nutritional bonus, and natural source of calories for energy in labor, minus the high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and flavors in most popsicles.

Red Raspberry Leaf Labor Punch

Strong-brewed red raspberry leaf tea, 1 pitcher (any amount)
Equal amount of 100% apple juice (no sugar added)
Honey to taste, optional
1 lb. frozen red raspberries, crushed on kitchen counter when the bag is still sealed

I made 2 dozen labor popsicles and still had a substantially full iced tea pitcher of labor tea/punch. I hope you enjoy this recipe. It's a great drink or popsicle to take with you to the hospital or birth center, especially if your facility has restrictions on eating and drinking in labor. (I hope it does not, for a lot of reasons, explained here.)

Not pictured: 100% apple juice

Labor music & reducing pain perception

Lots of mommas report that having their favorite music playing during labor and birth helps counteract the Fear-Tension-Pain cycle and assist with lessening their perception of pain, helping make labor more manageable. What kind of music you'll want to have ready is totally personal. I find that most mommas prefer slow music for early through active labor (anything you could slow-dance to), but that slow instrumental music is frequently more relaxing as the mother approaches transition through pushing. The lyrics can be too distracting at that point. Of course, it's up to you. One momma told me that she had rave music playing throughout her entire unmedicated birth at a birth center. Whatever floats your boat.

Find out if your place of birth has a CD player in each room. If not (and not many do), be prepared to have your iPod, iPad, or other MP3 player ready *with speakers* since it's difficult to keep earbuds in place while changing positions frequently during labor. It also makes for nice ambiance for your labor partner and labor support team.

I started drafting my labor playlist on notebook paper six months ago. The list kept growing until I realized that not only could we not afford to download that many songs on iTunes, but also that by the time I realized it was active labor, I likely wouldn't even have time to listen to the entire playlist I had written up! I have shown my "dream" playlist to a few friends, all of whom commented on how eclectic and varied the genres of my picks were. I figured I'd post both my finalized list and my "dream" list for anyone looking for ideas. Anyone who likes the same music I do, that is. Otherwise, make sure you have your rave music ready to play. It's all good.

My final playlist, most of which we already had on iTunes:

• "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" James Taylor
• "Something in the Way She Moves" James Taylor
• "You've Got a Friend" James Taylor
• "Fire and Rain" James Taylor
• "Sweet Baby James" James Taylor
• "Carolina In My Mind" James Taylor
• "Walking Man" James Taylor
• "Daughters" John Mayer
• "Don't Know Why" Norah Jones
• "Try a Little Tenderness" Michael Buble
• "More Than Words" Extreme
• "Bed of Roses" Bon Jovi
• "Kiss from a Rose" Seal
• "She's Always a Woman" Billy Joel
• "To Make You Feel My Love" Billy Joel ("Our song" played at our wedding)
• "Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)" Billy Joel
• "New York State of Mind" Billy Joel
• "Shameless" Garth Brooks
• "I Melt" Rascal Flatts
• "When Can I See You" Babyface
• "Take a Bow" Madonna
• "Crazy For You" Madonna
• "Forbidden Love" Madonna
• "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" Madonna
• "I'll Remember" Madonna
• "One More Chance" Madonna
• "Something to Remember" Madonna
• "You'll See" Madonna
• "Wicked Game" Chris Isaak
• "Just the Two of Us" Grover Washington, Jr.
• "Your Song" Elton John
• "Tiny Dancer" Elton John
• "Layla (Acoustic Version)" Eric Clapton
• "Take it to the Limit" Eagles
• "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" Aerosmith
• "Nothing Compares 2 U" Sinead O'Connor
• "A Whiter Shade of Pale" Joe Cocker

Additional songs I'd have added if I felt like spending the cash:

• "Lucky" Jason Mraz
• "Waiting on the World to Change" John Mayer
• "Body is a Wonderland" John Mayer
• "Isn't She Lovely" Stevie Wonder
• "When a Man Loves a Woman" Percy Sledge
• "Givin' Him Something He Can Feel" En Vogue
• "Let's Get it On" Rascal Flatts or Marvin Gaye
• "Let's Stay Together" Al Green
• "Easy" Commodores
• "Desperado" Eagles
• "Hotel California" Eagles
• "Best of My Love" Eagles
• "Wasted Time" Eagles
• "One of These Nights" Eagles
• "I Can't Tell You Why" Eagles
• "Landslide (Acoustic)" Fleetwood Mac
• "Rhiannon" Fleetwood Mac
• "Angel" Aerosmith
• "What it Takes" Aerosmith
• "The One" Elton John
• "I Want Love" Elton John
• "The Way You Look Tonight" Elton John
• "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" Elton John
• "Patience" Guns & Roses
• "Knockin on Heaven's Door" Guns & Roses
• "Weak" SWV
• "Must Have Been Love" Roxette
• "Faithfully" Journey
• "Lights" Journey
• "Open Arms" Journey
• "When You Love a Woman" Journey
• "Strange Magic" ELO
• "Careless Whisper" George Michael
• "Sara Smile" Hall & Oates
• "Vision of Love" Mariah Carey
• "Open Arms" Mariah Carey
• "Can't Let Go" Mariah Carey
• "Without You" Mariah Carey
• "I Still Believe" Mariah Carey
• "My All" Mariah Carey
• "I'll Be There" Mariah Carey
• "Fragile" Sting
• "When We Dance" Sting
• "In the Air Tonight" Phil Collins
• "Rain" Madonna
• "Just the Way You Are" Billy Joel
• "Honesty" Billy Joel
• "Leave a Tender Moment Alone" Billy Joel
• "She's Got a Way" Billy Joel
• "And So It Goes" Billy Joel
• "Into Temptation" Crowded House

And for transition onward, if the lyrics of slow music are too distracting, I plan on playing Pandora Radio channel for Pachelbel's Canon in D (another song played at our wedding). 

Did you have music playing during your labor and/or birth? What music did you prepare ahead of time? Did you end up wanting what you thought you would want?

39 wks basketball in mah belleh

Yes, I'm aware that I waddle. I know that I don't walk terribly well. I realize that I must not have much longer, by the looks of things. No, I do not need any commentary about how I look like I might pop (or worse--explode) any minute now. Who ever thought it was a good idea to compare childbirth to explosions? Not a positive mental image, people!

And before anyone is tempted to get me started, read this before any thoughts of commenting on how you think I'm big as a house or must be carrying twins (I'm not, and I'm not).

I'm still seeing my chiropractor weekly. Who knows how bad my SPD and SI issues would be if I weren't. It's pretty bad as is, and I know that chiropractic is helping. I've been drinking Earth Mama Angel Baby Third Trimester Tea every night before bed. That's been a fun countdown, watching my stock of it dwindle.

I just found out that I'm GBS positive, so I have to decide what course of action to take (or not to take). As of right now, I'm likely to take the course of treatment based on risk factors as opposed to prophylactically, considering the Cochrane Review of the research on GBS and IV antibiotics in labor.

I guess that's all the news for now. I'm just hanging out, waiting for Christmas or labor, whichever comes first. It's a little bit hard to wait, knowing it *could* be tonight, but it *could* be 3 more weeks. It does make it easier to wait, having so much to do. I haven't even started wrapping gifts and I have a ton of nesting to do, so I'm content to wait on my son's timing. (Even if I weren't content to wait, I wouldn't evict him without pressing proof of medical need to do so, in case you were wondering. Here's why.)