NYC Moms

Want a Home Birth? You Can’t in New York.

I was featured as a natural birth and breastfeeding advocate on Ricki Lake’s site MyBestBirth.com two weeks ago, and only because I read the MBB e-mail newsletter announcing my featured post did I learn that one of the most progressive hospitals in the city, St. Vincent’s in Manhattan, was closed, making it impossible for the home-birth midwives in New York to practice. They are obliged by state law to be approved by a hospital or obstetrician. So any expecting mom wanting to give birth at home can’t now, and the midwives either have to work illegally with their clients or are out of a job.

I'm outraged. This is New York City we are talking about! I’m outraged that I didn’t hear about this earlier, that this isn’t a bigger story. I actually gave birth to my son in a hospital -- we made it there, doula in tow, 20 minutes before he was born -- but I would want to have my baby at home the next time if we had another child. What are the New York midwives supposed to do, and more importantly, what is going to happen to the expecting moms who are close to their due dates, have been working with their midwives throughout their pregnancies, and now aren’t allowed to give birth at home?

Staying Active

My father had a fatal heart attack when I was 15, and my siblings and I have always tried to be fit and active, to counteract our family history. His four brothers and both parents all died young of heart attacks, too.

So it is a huge deal to my family that the American Heart Association has a new alliance with Nintendo, and pus its logo on Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resorts games.

Sedentary Americans (sadly, most of us) may be surprised how challenging these games can be.  Wii Fit, of course, makes no bones about the fitness component, but my kids really like the competitive aspect, running an obstacle course, or tracking the amount of time, and calories burned.

In the Sports Resort, you can bowl, bicycle, canoe, wake board – all of which combine aerobics with core strength.

Multi-tasking and Exercise

As a mother of three, I am a big fan of multitasking. If I want to watch television, I have to make the bed, fold laundry, answer email. If brownies are needed for the bake sale, I throw in another pan with potatoes, onions and carrots and we have roasted vegetables for another night.

So I was excited by Shatobu “the workout that you wear.” The idea behind this shapewear is that resistance bands tone muscles while you go about your day –you SHApe, TOne and BUrn. If your day consists of sitting on the couch and eating Godiva, you’re not going to look like Iman, but if you move around a moderate amount, in theory you burn 12% more calories.

I'm a lifer.

So have you seen the commercial from Alliance for a Healthier NY about the tax on sugar sweetened sodas?  It turns my stomach every time I see it.  Now, I don't pretend to know anything about politics, taxes or government.  I'm no authority on what Governor Patterson should or should not do.  I am simply a mom who loves her kids.  Oh, and I'm a soda drinker. 

When I see this commercial, I think, usually out loud, "How is putting a $0.01 per ounce tax on soda going to help people lose weight??" (and where the hell did the cent sign go on my keyboard?? But I digress...)  I recently posted the question on Twitter, "Does anybody REALLY think that a soda tax in NY is going to help people LOSE WEIGHT??" The response I got back was, "No, it's just like the cigarette tax.  It doesn't stop people from smoking and prohibition didn't stop people from drinking." 

Vicodin, Zappos, Flowers -- Oh My!!

I had knee surgery this week. I recommend it. Not the surgery necessarily, the week recovering.

I went in for the operation at 7:30 Monday morning and in less time than it takes to get highlights, I was fixed, stitched and on my way home. I’d been a bit nervous about the anesthetic, aka the Michael Jackson cocktail but when done properly (shock) in a hospital (shock) with highly-trained anesthesiologists, it’s spectacular. I have no recollection of the surgery, or the surgeon showing me the LIVE images of the tear in my meniscus. I can’t even remember how I got down to the recovery room or how I got the bruise on my right calf. I just remember the nurse waving my mom over to my curtained cubicle and the look of relief on her face, as if she hadn't breathed the entire time. We took a taxi home because that’s what you do after surgery in NYC.

Natural Birth, Duggar Style

I enjoy watching “19 Kids and Counting,” the TV show about Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their ever-growing brood of kids. I even watch it with my son sometimes because they serve as great examples for gentle and kind attachment parenting. Last week I happened to see the episode where Anna Duggar, their oldest son Josh’s wife, gives birth to their daughter with the help of the Bradley method, and I was reminded of my wonderful experience giving birth to my son after preparing myself with the same classes.

I think three factors contributed to make my natural birth experience enjoyable compared to other women’s “laborious” deliveries: attitude, preparation, and a little bit of luck. After seeing my girlfriend’s easy, epidural-aided labor years ago, I was convinced that I wanted an epidural — hook me up the second I walk in the door — but I completely changed my opinion once I did more research and attended the Bradley classes. There was no way I wanted any intervention, unless my life or the baby’s was in danger. Even though this was my first time giving birth, I truly believed that I could achieve a drug-free birth. It helped to know that my three sister-in-laws had birthed all of their 10 children like that. I trusted that my body would know what it needed to do, and I think my can-do mindset was the most important reason for my positive experience.

No Flu Shots for this Family

I've always been skeptical of flu shots.  The concept of injecting myself with a virus, albeit a small one, seems counter-intuitive.  Last year when I was pregnant I debated with my mom and medical professionals if I should get the recommended vaccine.  My grandmother had gotten the flu shot and was sick for weeks. Granted, I am fortunate enough to have a stronger immune system than my 91 year old grandmother, but it further confirms my theory about the flu vaccine.  

Which may lead one to wonder why I readily administered the scheduled vaccines to my children.  

Dentists and doctors, then and now

I took my 12 year old for her check up this week and she was trembling when the pediatrician said she needed 2 shots.  Ultimately, she was fine; the doctor, of course, has a wonderful bedside manner and is used to dealing with irrational fears.  Well, maybe not that irrational – shots do, after all, hurt, but the pain is fleeting and rather minor.

Which brings me to my dental phobia. I have long been traumatized by going to the dentist, probably because I breathe through my mouth and always feel like I’m drowning at the dentist.  And I grew up in an age when doctors and dentists pretty much dismissed patients’ fears; this was not an era of hand-holding and soothing voices.  My daughter’s pediatrician climbed onto the table and put her arm around Nora before giving her a shot, and her dentist, while a bit goofy, sometimes actually makes her laugh.  And he gives out goody bags.  I remember distinctly being yelled at by my dentist for being scared. 

And although I know why dentists have to wear gloves, they really taste disgusting and it was moderately less uncomfortable when dentists of old stuck their (hopefully clean) naked fingers into your mouth.

Clean sweep

After I paid my pediatrician to inoculate my kids against swine flu, (thanks Oxford!) NYC started offering free H1N1 shots to school children.  But even if they are protected against swine flu, there are still other germs and viruses that can harm them.  Short of disinfecting my entire house, what could I do?

I was excited to find out about a new vacuum cleaner that can kill dust mites, rhinovirus, E. coli and mold with an ultraviolet light.  Instead of using a chemical to disinfect my house, I could sterilize it with UV-C light.  The Oreck Halo has a light chamber, and while you clean with the vacuum, this light kills bacteria on your rugs, couches and mattresses.

Ok, confession here.  Although my middle daughter is a mild asthma sufferer, we do not regularly vacuum her mattress.  It is encased in a dust-mite impenetrable case, but vacuuming her mattress seems a bit over the top, even for a germ-a-phobe like me.

Breastfeeding Helps You Get Back Into Shape!

This Thursday was a great day for breastfeeding advocates like me. The New York Times ran an article called “Breast-Feed the Baby, Skip the Dieting?” Catherine Saint Louis wrote about what has been my experience as well: breastfeeding helps moms melt those extra pounds after pregnancy — and if you are lucky, even more. I was a size 8 when I met my husband, I gained about 38 pounds while pregnant, and I have been a size 6 — or a size 4 on a very good day — since my son was about 10 months old. He just turned 3 and I am still breastfeeding him on demand. Being able to eat what I want because I am nursing my child is one of the reasons why I am in no hurry for him to self-wean!

I have mentioned on my blog, Dagmar’s momsense, that I think breastfeeding is the best diet I have ever been on. But I have also heard the opposite and wrote a blog post about this, asking other moms to chime in with their own experiences. After analyzing the responses, it seems that a lot of women are able to regain their pre-pregnancy weight while breastfeeding, yet some feel that they are holding on to extra pounds because their body thinks it has to store some extra fat to be able to produce milk in case of emergencies.