Call me crazy, but really just know that I am doing what I feel is best for my boys – T2 and T3 are going to the Waldorf Charter School.

T2 went yesterday for his “sit in”

He spent the day in the class so he could see if it was a good fit.  When I parked to drop him off I saw a man “loitering” in the parking lot.  I was wondering who he was.  He ended up being the school administrator who was very kind.  I think he is out there welcoming everyone each morning.

Everyone is super nice.  I think because it is such a small school 220 kids instead of 1200 kids, new kids are noticed and welcomed warmly.

After dropping him off I walked around the campus a bit and just felt really good about the fit for T2.  I saw Julie, who is over enrollment and she said they do have a spot for him!  I told her we would let her know after T2 had his day there.  I went to pick him up and met another mom of a new 5th grader.  She is driving over an hour to get there, compared to my 20 min!  No more complaining from me.  (maybe)

T2 loved it.

He loved the Games (PE), he loved the math, the smallness of the school, recess, the stories.  I asked if he wanted to go there, he said 99.99999% sure!  I told them there was a spot and he was so happy.

While we were driving home he got very quiet.  After a few minutes he said, “The only sad thing is I won’t be with Mrs. S. again.”  We were both so excited that she was going to be his teacher again.

We talked about how lucky he was he did get to be with her for one great year and that she would be happy for him finding this new school. (It really is a great fit for him.)  She were honestly the only teacher that T2 has liked so far in his school career and we appreciate so much all she did for him!

T2 is there today for his second day.  He better still like it because I told our old school he isn’t coming back.

T3 hasn’t started yet.

I need to meet with the Kindergarten teachers, so they can see which class will be the best fit for him (I love how they honor each child as an individual)  and I imagine he will start Monday.

How is this related to birth?

Some people will call me crazy because the local school is really a great school.  Why make this “crazy” change?  Why isn’t the hospital good enough for a mom wanting a home birth?  She may be called crazy too!

• It is about choosing what is best for your family.  What others think really doesn’t matter!
• Personalized care instead of institutionalized care!
• Sadness of leaving something that is known.

Here is your chance to go to Berkley for free and learn about your amazing female body!

A video on the Female Reproductive System from Berkley.

It was sort of old school – writing on a chalk board instead of a power point.  But great information for any woman.  If you are a birth worker, even more so.

Thanks for Joni for sharing this!

In April I read an article in the New York Times about fee courses online from major universities.
One of these, Integrative Anatomy; taught by Marian Diamond at the University of California Berkeley is one I am taking now.
Wow and wow!!!
What a professor she is.  She never loses sight of the fascination and wonder of the body as she patiently and elegantly communicates the technical aspects.
There are 44 lectures (each about 50 minutes) and if you’d like to jump directly to the female reproductive system you can take lecture 38 which I’ve provided below.

I hope that many of you will be as charmed by Prof Diamond’s teaching as I am.  I thought my undergraduate university professor of anatomy was pretty terrific but this time I can take class when I want to and don’t have to scramble across campus at 8am  lol
http://www.univision.com/uv/video/Integrative-Biology-131—Lecture-38%3A-Fe/id/3073244902

Abrazos
Joni
www.joninichols.com

     I do NOT recommend What to Expect When you are Expecting… this tells you everything that can go wrong and tells you to expect it.  I used to recommend Your Pregnancy Week by Week, because moms wanted a book to tell them how their baby was developing and have a reference to what may be happening to them during pregnancy.  Even this book is a bit too negative, but I didn’t know what else to suggest. I now have the best choices!

      I DO recommend this pair of books to have the best of both worlds.  SEE how your baby is growing and learn the different developmental stages your baby is experiencing, plus have a great reference book on what is normal pregnancy like. 

     The BABY-EGG Pregnancy Countdown Calendar is a wonderful visual of your growing baby and their development.  This is beautifully done and life size. A hook comes with the book so you can hang it on the wall and flip a page each week.  It is especially wonderful for families who already have children.  So great to see and learn how the baby is growing.

     Pair that book with, Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide by Penny Simkin a wonderful reference book with complete pregnancy and birth information presented in a positive way. 

Birth by Tina Cassidy

Who is the intended audience of this book?  Care providers of pregnant women… if they actually take time to read it, the may learn something.  Women of childbearing age or younger or anyone in their families…. DO NOT read this book

It is scary to read and starting with the first chapter, that alone will make you question mankind’s ability to still exist because of all the horrible things that can go wrong during birth.  Most of these stories are from women who lived long ago and had Rickets, which caused bone softening and pelvic deformation.  Luckily if you are reading this you most likely live in a society where Rickets no longer exists.  But the fear and scariness doesn’t stop there.

As a Childbirth Educator and doula, I found it an interesting though disturbing read.  It was one of those books where you are yelling at it at times.  Partly because of the stupidity of what has gone on throughout the history of birth.  But also party because I felt like it was SO negative.  I just would NEVER let a pregnant women read it, she might go sign up for an Elective Cesarean, because the overall tone of the book is birth is scary… complete with horrific stories (mostly due to Rickets which no longer exists in America) to demonstrate it. 

I did enjoy the section on the Dawn of Doctors, where I learned more about some inspired care providers and their journeys.  Grantly Dick-Read who wrote Childbirth Without Fear and Fernand Lamaze were of extra interest to me as a Hypnobabies Instructor, because I learned that their teachings included a lot of mind over body thinking, as well as the importance of hospital staff supporting and believing in the moms ability to have a comfortable birth.  Having been a mom using hypnosis during my 2^nd birth, totally comfortable and the nurses telling me at least 3 times, as soon as your water breaks it is going to hurt… not surprisingly when my water broke it did start to hurt.  When I had my 3^rd baby, I used Hypnobabies and had a Bubble of Peace to protect me from the negativity of those around me, including the hospital staff. 

I learned about Emanuel Friedman who watched birthing women and came up with the bell curve of the length of typical stages of birth.  He is horrified on how that information is used today.  “We found an average.  People think the average is what women should fall upon.  That is clearly not true but rather a broad range of normality beyond which a potential abnormality may or may not exist.  These abnormalities are not in themselves justification for forceps or cesarean…  It doesn’t’ mean she’s doing so badly that you have to do something terrible to her. That is being abused.” 

So this one chapter I found to be very informative and enjoyable to read. 

The tools and fads chapter was an interesting look at the different ways people dealt with and currently deal with Childbirth.  It was disappointing to me how in a chapter that could have had positive parts to it… ie waterbirth, hypnosis etc, there was still an over all fear feeling to it.  In the waterbirth section the main focus seemed to be on why it is fought against by many care providers, with of course stories of babies dying included.

Please if you are pregnant or ever will be do NOT read this book, it is too negative, with the exception of the Dawn of Doctors chapter, there was nothing positive I will take from this book. 

I especially disliked the last 2 pages.  The author looks back even after all she has learned she wouldn’t change anything about her birth… sort of defeatist attitude.  (She had a very medically managed birth ending up in a cesarean,) but does concede maybe she should have chosen a midwife and had a doula. 

“Women will forever give birth in many different ways – either by design or through forces out of our control.  As for the latter, we can only hope to be pleasantly surprised.” 

Really, I guess one might believe this after reading the book.  But knowing what I know as a childbirth educator and VBAC mom, the choices we make starting with our care provider down to positions we choose during birth can make a HUGE impact on our birth. 

If you want to be empowered by books about birth, I suggest reading the following instead of this one.

The Thinking Women’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

If you want a history about childbirth in the USA but would like to feel empowered by the knowledge rather than defeated try,

Born in the USA by Mardsen Wagner

about What Women Aren’t Told About Childbirth.

It is talking about all the information they gathered from the Listening to Mother’s Survey. 

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/65608?page=1   Enjoy!