Sweet Peas, Pods & Papas
Sweet Pea Births - ...celebrating every sweet pea and their birth
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Recent Posts

Time To Rally Around Our Midwives
Rights For Homebirth - May 2013 Update
Natural Oxytocin Boosters
10 Wishes For Your Birth and Beyond
Postpartum: Unplugged

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Planning for Baby - Part 1
Hyperemesis Gravidarum In The News
An Inside Look: Placenta Encapsulation
An Inside Look: Modern Mommy Boutique
Stay Safe and Cool Through Your Summer Pregnancy - Part 2

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Sweet Peas, Pods & Papas

Parenting

Mommy-Con Ticket Giveaway Take 2

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MommyCon Phoenix At the Mesa Convention Center
http://mommy-con.com/event-registration/?ee=4Mommy Con is coming to Arizona.April 14th from 9am to 5:30pm at the Mesa Convention Center in Downtown Mesa.This is a boutique style convention ded...
Have you heard of Mommy-Con

Parenting Forward

Usually I focus our blog on pregnancy, labor and birth since that is what our main topics are in our classes.  If you already have your baby in your arms, you know that the Birth-Day is simply the first day of a lifetime journey.  Today I offer some introspective thoughts after the passing of my "grandmother-in-love" yesterday.  I am at peace, and I think the rest of the family is, too - she was ready and we had said our goodbyes.  I strive to find the lessons in all experiences.

Mama Time

     The baby you have always dreamed of is here!  They are precious, tiny, and completely dependent on you!  You cherish the opportunity to nourish them, teach them, and wait for the day when they begin to interact with you by smiling at you, making and keeping eye contact, your first shared laugh together…all of these moments are priceless.

     Then something occurs to us - "when" is a matter of time.  They are here with you forever.  You will never go back to your life before baby.

Easy Craft: Cards for Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is almost here!  It’s the time of year when we break out the craft supplies and get busy making handmade cards.
 
Since our children’s grandparents do not live near us, I like to personalize the cards with the kiddos handprints or fingerprints.  In my mind, it allows them to touch something that their grandchildren have literally imprinted on, and it also gives them a sense of scale for their size since our last visit.



 
HEREis a card idea from Scholastic that we modified for this year's St.

5 Ideas for First Birthdays

Another set of babies is about to turn one this month!!  Time marches on…and as my mother-in-law so sweetly reminded me yesterday, it only seems to go faster as we get older.

Here are five ideas to help memorialize the occasion outside of the “smash cake” photos that are so popular now:

First Birthday Ideas - Sweet Pea Births Blog Peas, Pods and Papas
1. Make a print
Use a non-toxic ink or paint to make a handprint or footprint on acid-free paper.  Remember to date it, and also write some favorites on the page: color, song, food, toy, etc.  It’s okay if you forget to do it right on their birthday – there will be a lot going on that day!

Keeping Sweet Pea Healthy 2012

December is here and it’s time for my yearly PSA on protecting your baby from respiratory viruses.  When there is a newborn in the house, everyone wants to come over to meet the baby!!  They are pretty hard to resist.

Bruss and I are big advocates for our children, especially the youngest members of our family, during cold and flu season.  Our Night Owl had a life-threatening experience with RSV when he was three months old, and that has made us painfully aware just how fragile our sweet peas can be.

Dreams of the Sandman

Bradley Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona: Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale, Payson

Ahh – today’s blog post is inspired by the class on postpartum we just taught and two of our sweet students who are going through some sleepless nights with their daughters.  Warm thoughts and wishes for the sandman are being sent for them.


Instead of CIO, sleep with your baby - yes, that can be an option!A common suggestion when babies are sleepless is to let them cry it out, also known as CIO.  I cringe when I see those words.  I believe that babies are meant to be with their mamas for the first nine months of their lives – you can read more about why I believe that

Toxin Epiphany Moment

My original intention forTuesday’s postabout bedtime routines was to list some calming bath and shampoo options in the section for “Bath and Brush”.  Then I started looking at the information on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website to see what they had listed on their Skin Deep Database.  The database is “being refreshed”.  Which led me to look at their “How to Read a Label” list for this post. 

Now I am completely reawakened to the Bradley Method® message of keeping a pregnancy healthy and low-risk by avoiding harmful substances.

BEST Communication Skills

We got the opportunity to use our communication skills from our Bradley™ training over the weekend.  It is always a good reminder that the skills we teach in class can serve us long after labor and birth.
 
Our Angelika was in the hospital with an infection in her neck.  It looked like a big boil, and as it turns out it was filled with pus and she needed minor surgery.  As we navigated the hospital system, here are the things we teach in class that we applied over the weekend.
 

Breastfeeding and The Law

A look at breastfeeding laws in public and in the workplaceI got an alarming text from a student last week.  I won’t share the details since I haven’t asked permission.  What I can tell you is that it reminded me how little the general public and employers know about our breastfeeding and pumping “rights” as outlined in state and federal law. 
 
Since my passion for breastfeeding is second only to my passion for natural birth, I forget that I live in a vacuum of other BF fanatics.  Just because we know and discuss the laws amongst ourselves does not mean that we are doing a good job at educating the public.
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