Any tips for feeding, sleeping, and caring for children born only a year apart?
My daughter is six-months-old, and I recently found out I am about 10 weeks pregnant. Most days it feels like I am just keeping up with my little girl, and she is barely crawling. She is going to be toddling around when I have a newborn — I am looking at the future wondering how and the heck I can cope with two little ones.
What my son’s unexpected Cesarean birth taught me about being a human
It was this realization that my sweet little fresh baby was going to be an old man someday that really did it. I felt like I saw his whole life flash in front of my eyes. That moment was fleeting, but it was possibly the most human I’ve ever felt. Since then I’ve looked at Kai differently than I did in the beginning; he’s no longer “the baby” or “that thing I grew.” He’s our new human, and he’s ours for only a brief period. It is not easy, but I am doing my best to cherish this time.
I let go of my self-righteousness and had a Cesarean delivery — and I’m thankful for it
When I got pregnant last January I was stoked about the joyful, carefree unassisted birth I had always dreamed of. My husband and mom, though, were concerned about the safety of freebirths and so I compromised with them and hired a Certified Nurse-Midwife who only did home births. She was a mother of two who lives on a farm and works primarily with the Amish women in our area. When I caught her voicemail, I noticed she signed off with “Namaste.” I thought: “Wow, this is going to be so great! She’s just like me! I don’t have to worry that she’ll force me to have medicines or procedures done that I don’t want.”
Ten minutes and you’re finished: a video of a Cesarean delivery
As some of you might remember, regular Offbeat Mama contributor Hunny wrote about the cesarean delivery of her second daughter, Zephyr in March 2012. Hunny opted to deliver via cesarean section for health reasons, and her husband Joe filmed the entire birth. I’ve actually had the privilege of being in an operating room while a baby was being born via cesarean section, but it’s definitely not something everyone gets to do any day of the week.
This is what a baby being born via Cesarean looks like
DON’T BE SCARED: there’s minimal blood and no internal body parts on display in this shot of a baby being born via Cesarean — just a cute little head poking out. Amazing.
An epic photo journey through an unplanned cesarean birth
My first introduction to Catherine of CALIMA Portraits came last year via that super cute Hobbit chair and vintage family session we ran. Since then I’ve been more or less in love with both Catherine and her work. I was totally stoked to get to meet her at our Offbeat Empire reception last October (she’s dancing behind Jenny Jimenez in a shot on this post)! ANYWAY, long story short: Catherine’s incredible and her work is just… extraordinary.
All about my wonderful scheduled cesarean section
I walked with a cane for the rest of the pregnancy and had to wear a special belt. Birth options for this condition are limited. Spreading your legs exacerbates the condition, and it was possible I might mess up my pelvis permanently. This was the first seed planted in the c-section garden. Then, I got gestational diabetes, which statistically often leads to c-section as well. So, because of the symphisis pubis dysfunction, having had a previous c-section, and the gestational diabetes, I had a scheduled c-section on December 19th to welcome my second daughter.
From the operating room: photos from a planned cesarean section birth
I recently had the privilege to spend a few hours in the hospital with a friend of mine and shoot the birth of her third child, Gabrielle. While I’ve shot births before, this one was a new experience — it was my first time in an operating room, and my first time shooting a cesarean section.