Male Doulas?

Sure, why not? I don't think it would be for me, but whatever works:

Your Space: Doula Man

Kind of like a male midwife - hard to get one's mind around it, but some women really do prefer male caregivers. If so, this guy is for you! :)

Incredibly Funny Birth Story

Kayce has posted this birth story, and I'm linking to her blog instead of the original story because there are four parts (she has links to each part). Check it out! It's not a natural birth (i.e. sans drugs), but it is a VBAC - hurray for VBAC!!!! And what a wonderful hospital and doctor she had! Birth balls, labor tubs, not-too-pushy of a doctor - nice!

Incidentally, her description of contractions really reminded me of my own experience - and why I wouldn't have been able to have a natural birth in-hospital! There are some goddess-like women who apparently have the willpower to have drug-free hospital births, but I am not one of them! Staying where drugs aren't available for birth is the only way natural birth happened for me - or will ever happen! If I'd been in-hospital, I too would have taken an epidural. Make that ten or twenty epidurals. All at the same time. Double strength.

Anyhow, that was really a rabbit trail. Just a random thought.... But check out this birth story and prepare to giggle!

Embryo Adoption.... PUPO

Our dear friends J. and T. had their embryo adoption transfer this week, and things went really well! So J. is now "PUPO" - Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise. For now it's just a waiting game as they wait to see if the babies were able to successfully implant (which will be shown by a positive pregnancy test). We are hoping for wonderful things for them! As two embryos were transferred, there is a good chance of TWINS! (Or triplets or quads, as each has the possibility of splitting.)

J. and T. decided on embryo adoption after the barrage of fertility tests they underwent showed them that they were not only infertile, but completely sterile due to the husband having Kleinfelter's syndrome (a genetic condition which renders males sterile). So the embryo-babies that are transferred are transferred just like a usual IVF cycle, but they have different genetic parents who have given them into the care of their adoptive parents (just like babies and children are given to adoptive parents post-birth). This is a wonderful option for genetic parents who have more embryos than they can transfer themselves.

Praying for this wonderful family!

New Midwifery Partnership

Our midwife, having lost her former business partner (she recently retired temporarily after the birth of her baby), has formed a new partnership with midwife Marinah Farrell, and they are now taking clients! You can see Marinah's blog here:

Midwife in the Clouds

For some reason I haven't had this blog in my subscription, but I've added it now and am looking forward to reading it.

Marinah is also somewhat famous for her series of articles in Midwifery Today on the subject of bullying within the midwifery profession.

We're not planning any more kidlets, but if we do, we'll look forward to working with Marinah as well as our midwife!

New OB Blog

I haven't looked through this blog at all (so don't quote me), but the top article (which I saw on Facebook) was absolutely astounding, amazing, wonderful, etc. Here it is:

Delayed Cord Clamping Should Be Standard Practice in Obstetrics

Do I really need to say more?

I've subscribed to this blog and am looking forward to reading it!

Good Quote

I saw this comment on "My OB Said What?" and thought it was great... Sometimes we women (myself included) focus unhealthily on what childbearing and time do to our bodies rather than the importance things we are doing with those children and that time. This is a good reminder to me:

"You know what? I could spend the rest of my life trying to hang onto the body of a 19 year old, worrying about gaining half an ounce, spending half my day at the gym, and spending a fortune on products and eventually plastic surgery. But I’m still gonna get old. I’d rather work my way toward having the body of an 80 year old great-grandmother, who carried, bore, and nursed 5 children (for a grand total of 49 months, a bit more than 6!), who spent her days caring for those 5, plus 2 more, and a husband, whose only diet was healthy, home-cooked food, whose exercise was bouncing a baby, then a grandbaby on her knee. I’ll probably never pose nude in Playboy, but I really do not care."

Good stuff.

Target's Response

I emailed Target to encourage them (nicely!) to support public breastfeeding, and very quickly got the following back:

Dear Diana,

As a family-oriented retailer, Target has a long-standing practice that supports breastfeeding in our stores.

We want everyone to feel comfortable shopping at Target. Guests who choose to breastfeed in public areas of the store are welcome to do so without being made to feel uncomfortable. Additionally, we support the use of fitting rooms for women who wish to breastfeed their babies, even if others are waiting to use the fitting rooms.

We strive to provide a distraction-free environment for all our guests, including nursing moms. We regret the incident in our store and will continue to provide a shopping environment that respects the needs of all guests, including nursing mothers.

At Target, we work hard to provide you with an enjoyable shopping experience. If you ever have concerns during your visit, please visit the Guest Service Desk and ask to speak to the Guest Service Team Leader. They'll make every attempt to resolve the issue while you're in the store.

We appreciate the opportunity to share this information with you.

Sincerely,

Kate
Target Guest Relations

Very nice indeed! Way to go, Target!