Parents to be....educate yourselves!

Another potential "book entry"...

This entry may be a little out of order but it still falls in the importance of, "educating yourself" category.  If you were buying a car, you would probably do a little research.  I probably would be bold enough to say most, when buying any expensive product, would not just randomly go out and buy something but would spend a little time finding out the best "bang for the buck".
Unfortunately, many new parents to be, do very little research or preparation prior to the birth of this most precious baby.
There are many varied situations after the birth of a baby in which parents have to make decisions regarding the health and management of their baby.  When a doctor or nurse comes into the room and says that something is out of order and they recommend something different than expected, new, uneducated parents feel inferior and then they say, "well, is that the best thing to do?" And then the healthcare provider says, "yes, this is what I would do!"  So without having time to think the situation through or without even having the whereabouts to ask the right questions...a decision is made based on what a healthcare provider says and the parent may not have ever even met this person or know anything about them.
So now, after that somewhat confusing rant,
PLEASE educate yourself on the most common problems in the newborn period and then check with the American Academy of Pediatrics protocols and guidelines for specific treatments being prepared to ask the question, "is your recommendation in line with what the AAP recommends? Remember, you are paying them and you want the best!
A couple of topics you might want to read up on include:  hyperbilirubinemia and hypoglycemia. Both can be very mismanaged and it would be a good idea to look at recommended standards of practice.

writing a book....

A few weeks ago, I was with some friends and they encouraged me to start writing a book about what I do every single day...To begin with, it is definitely flattering for someone to encourage you to do such a task, but the whole confidence thing is somewhat difficult for me. 

I have to preface this by saying, that I am only good at what I do because my heavenly father blessed me with a special  set of skills, and then because of various peers, patients, family and  friends I have learned things to enhance what I do in the area of parenting and helping mothers learn to breastfeed their babies. If it wasn't for the PPFF  group, I wouldn't be the person, professional, and person I am today.  So I have to thank each of those people who have walked this path with me. So if you have worked with me, lived with me, been my friend or my patient --Thank You for what you have taught me....

This is an undertaking which may never come to an end, and I really don't know if there is a right or wrong way but I am just going to start at the beginning and then each blog posting will follow in an orderly fashion.

Not really sure what to call the entries but I am going to start with Breastfeeding Stuff....

Entry 1
So the test was positive--You are pregnant and in a little less than nine months, a baby will be in your arms!  Whether this was planned, not planned, wanted, not wanted, or whether you have no emotional attachment to this new state of being, it is time now to begin to educate yourself and plan for this new venture.

What happens next is the life of a brand new person. This little person will be born at some point and none of us like to think anything will go in an unplanned way...  I will address special circumstances in another entry.  Just to say, most of the next few entries will be about regular moms, regular babies and regular circumstances.  

At some point, you will have to decide about how you plan on feeding your new baby.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends feeding your baby exclusive breastmilk for at least the first 6 months of your baby's life and continuing  to provide breastmilk through the first year of life and on into the second year as long as it is mutually satisfying for mother and baby. 

It is at this time, that the education factor is very important. A prenatal breastfeeding class is a great place to start.  I strongly recommend you go to your doctor, WIC office, hospital, or even online to find a class. 

We'll pick up here...next time.

the end of the summer....

Yesterday was Labor Day and for this southern girl, it is the signal that summer has come to a close.
Such a sad day for me...

I love summertime. I love a suntan, the heat, the clothes, the flip flops, the beach, the state of mind, the flowers, the food, and I could go on and on...

How about you?  Is there a season in which you have to go through the grieving process for every year?

more wedding pics...

      a beautiful rehearsal dinner...

       great music....
the sweetheart table for the new Mr. and Mrs....
  the wedding cake...

  the groom's cake...

a great wedding.

spring and summer

Where have spring and summer gone?  I can't believe it is the first week of August.   I am just now relaxing and ready to enjoy summer and school is just about ready to start again.  That thought evokes great sadness in me.  I have always loved summer--summer weather, summer activities, summer clothes, summer food, everything summer!

All in all, it has been a pretty good summer so far--it started with the shower at the end of May which was great.

perfect day for a shower and I did get the cake made ...many thanks to Dana for helping get it iced!

The shower then led to the wedding, and somehow,  I was blessed by having the opportunity to help a precious young couple have the wedding of their dreams.  Lots of work, but as the old saying goes, the proof is in the pudding...it was beautiful.  All of the hours spent making fabric flowers, tying twine around mason jars, planning flower arrangements for tables, shopping for just the right stuff to make everything perfect--

  The end result--

a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple!

Here are a few pics...

Life long blessings to K and G!  A precious couple who love the Lord and are building a life together with Christ as the head!

thank you---PINTEREST!

A dear friend of mine has a son who is getting married soon. The bride to be lives in another town, so I offered to give her a shower. When I talked to her about the wedding and things she liked, it was great to find out, we liked alot of the same things. Since I live in a log cabin, a Vintage bridal shower seemed just perfect!  So I pulled out all of my mason jars, china, aprons and then, "thanks to PINTEREST" --a lot of ideas!
First were the invites....
I saw some on PINTEREST ---and so I cut out the mason jar pattern and made up a little verse.....

The menu was the next thing, and because I was thinking "old fashioned." Like when I got married, the menu's included cake, nuts, buttermints and punch.  So the cake had to be a brown sugar vanilla with caramel in between the layers and buttercream iciing.  And it had to look like one I saw on PINTEREST.  But since I have never made a three layer cake ---it was going to be a challenge.  More about the cake later...

Next on the list, was getting my yard ready....and again, thanks to PINTEREST, I had to decorate my pickett fence.

more....to come!

Blogging...

Well, I haven't posted anything in a little over a month, but I have been busy.  To start off my excuse list:
1.  I got sick.  --I RARELY ever get sick...But thank God...I am all better.
2.  Work--extremely busy..Whatever was going on 9 months ago sure caused a bunch of new precious lives!
3.  Planing a bridal shower.  A dear friend's son is getting married in June and I am giving a shower and I love    to do everything...Over the Top!
4. Out of sync.  That's all--Out of Sync.
So with those excuses, I will try to start "blogging" again.
We will see how the next few days go.....

April, Resurrection, Spring, New things

I can't believe it is already April 5, 2012!
Time seems to be going by so fast.
Maybe it is this beautiful weather we are having...
Maybe it is the "newness" that spring brings.
Maybe it is the joy found in the day that Jesus arose from the grave.

When my children were small, it was so fun to get their Easter baskets together and see their faces when they found them loaded with goodies!  Then getting ready for church in new clothes in all the pretty spring colors!

What a fun family day! 

The moon has been full this week resulting in many of  babies being born this week. I have worked a lot. I am tired. Sometimes when I am tired and still have to be at work, I have to cognitively remind myself that before I go in to meet a new family to remember what an exciting day this day is for them. For the rest of their days, it is a special someone's birthday. By the time I go in to see my 14th family, it can be hard to be "excited" ...it is just another baby, another mom, another dad, etc. etc....

But no matter how many I see in any given day, 

I never want to treat them with any less enthusiasm,

 or excitement than I would want my own family or friends treated. 

It's really how I feel about Resurrection Sunday....It's the day MY Savior arose from the grave...
I want everyone to treat this day with the excitement, emotion and enthusiasm!

I am so thankful for the sacrifice HE made for me...

He AROSE!!!