Monthly Archives: July 2008

Diapers

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My boss handed down to Billy and me a bunch of great clothes as well as left over diapers his twins outgrew. The diapers we got from him were Pampers Swaddlers New Baby which were a great size for our little guy. They fit him better than the ones the hospital used.

When Will was discharged from the hospital the nurse sent us home with a nice stash of supplies which included some of those diapers. They were also Pampers but they had a handy blue line that ran down the front of the diaper that changed to the color blue when there is urine in the diaper without having to take it off or stick your nose (or heaven forbid, your finger) in his diaper to see what is actually going on in there. Once we ran out of those I found it took me no time at all to access when a diaper is wet… I can tell most times just by looking at the shape of the diaper.

We nearly ran out of these various free diapers so Billy went to Whole Foods to buy the Seventh Generation Chlorine free diapers for us to try out. He had read reviews that said they leaked and were not well loved so we decided we would try out one package for ourselves before investing in a whole box worth from Amazon.

The reviewers were right! They do leak. We had about 5 failed diapers in our first day and today, day two, we had about 3 or 4 failed diapers. Do not buy the newborn sized Seventh Generation diapers! They DO suck. But word is that the other sizes work just fine. We will use them anyway just to use them up so as not be wasteful. But shame on Seventh Generation for making an inferior diaper! We will however try the other sizes as Will grows into them. I think it is important to use chlorine free products up against our bodies.

We decided to try Whole Foods’ house brand diapers because they were also chlorine free. The size said it would fit 6lbs to 12lbs. Will just recently passed the 6lb mark so we figured we would be able to use these. It turns out that the diaper is huge and would go all the way up to his nipples! Oh dear.

Well, the diaper adventures continue. I hope to turn to cloth diapers with a service that picks them up and sterilizes them. I believe this is the sensible and environmentally responsible thing to do.

I am sure I will have more to say about diapers in the coming months and I hope to learn more from you and others out there in the world what works for them.

I am here

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I am here… but just barely.

I feel so out of touch, so sleep deprived. So much has happened in the last 2 and a half weeks since Will’s birth.

I was not warned about the things I am experiencing, or if I was, I could not have understood. One has to experience this to believe it.

I have been wanting to post but have not been able to bring myself to do so. My experiences have been intense and I am hesitant to write about them. Also, I’m just so tired and busy with the little one.

I just wanted to say I am here and I plan to post regularly now. So, I will see you here tomorrow with something new.

Take care and be well,

~Christine (eyelids closing almost before I can close the lid to my laptop)

Welcome George William Astor Shipp V

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Our sweet little baby was born on July 14th, 2008! His name is George William Astor Shipp V (we call him “Will”). He is amazing. I am totally in love with him. Billy and I are so happy to have him in our lives.

He was born at 5:53am and weighing in at 5lbs, 15oz. I was 36 weeks and 6 days along in my pregnancy (according to ultrasound estimations). I ended up having a natural birth but without my doula and not at my designated hospital. I have more details to share with you about the birth, but that will come in a later post.

I have been so sleep deprived and adrenaline fueled and in a surreal state and have not announced him here nor made any calls to tell people. Billy made the family calls and sent out emails with pictures to his peeps. Now that we have the house full with 3 grandparents and I am a bit rested, I have finally pulled out the laptop to blog. I want to connect with the outside world again, and I want to share in the celebration of Will.

Billy put up a photostream on flickr of us with Will. I present you with Will (click here for the photos).

On Mudras and, Yoga in Portland

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I was talking with my dear friend Julia of The Joe Cocker Dancers about dance and movement and life we came to the subject of yoga. I told her of some lovely pictures in the current issue of The Yoga Journal (August 2008 issue) where they explained 5 mudras and how to incorporate them into your yoga practice. I used them the other day just before I practiced my hypnobirthing that I spoke of in my previous post. The mudra that resonated with me most strongly that night was Vajrapradama mudra. Vajra means “thunderbolt”. This symbolizes unwavering confidence and brings you back to that place of personal power. To do this mudra you cross your fingers and rest the palms of your hands on your heart’s center with your thumbs apart. I practiced it while sitting on my calves (knees and heels together under me). I found it to be calming and centering.

She mentioned wanting to expand on her yoga practice which made me think of my very first yoga teacher, Holiday Johnson, and how Julia might enjoy trying out her classes. I got to thinking about how lucky I was to come across a yoga teacher as knowledgeable and great as Holiday. She gave me a great foundation. She is very detailed, gives great corrections as well as great directions in class. She is firm in her style of teaching yet very giving of her knowlege and desire to bring her students to understanding the yoga and all that it has to offer.

One of the most impressive things I found about Holiday is that she was able to use yoga to correct or immensely help her scoliosis.

I honor her dedication both as a student and a teacher.

~namaste~

Hypnobirthing Assists In Everyday Calm

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Last night I found myself in a very upsetting situation. Augmenting the upsetting situation were my pregnancy hormones. I felt like I was beside myself*. After letting out frustrations I turned to my hypnobirthing practice. I sat in calm as I let my breathing soothe me as well as the visualization practice of Marie F. Mongan’a Rainbow Relaxation CD. Soon I found the conditioning that I have been building by practicing listening to my hypnobirthing CDs had paid off. This makes me feel more confidant about it really working as a tool to assist in my birthing experience. I feel more grounded in general with the steps I have been taking to create positive experiences in my life. I am very thankful to myself for choosing to do this and working to progress. I am also thankful to the people and tools that support me in this experience. Even when times are hard, I feel that my life is enriched.

* “Beside himself. Why do we describe a distraught person as being ‘beside himself’? Because the ancients believed that soul and body could part and that under great emotional stress the soul would actually leave the body. When this happened a person was ‘beside himself.’ This same thought is to be found in ‘out of his mind’; and in ‘estasy’ too. ‘Ecstasy’ is from the Greek and literally means ‘to stand out of.’” From “Dictionary of Word Origins” by Jordan Almond (Carol Publishing Group, Secaucus, N.J., 1998)

36 Weeks – A Snapshot

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Every once in a while I stop by the BabyCenter website to see what they have to say about the week of pregnancy I am in. This is week 36 (as of last Tuesday, approximately) and here is their guesstimate of what lil’ fellah looks like now. Almost 6 pounds!

My contractions are getting a little more intense now. Last night I had to really work with the breathing I have been learning to find relief physically and mentally. Fear about the birth keeps creeping in. I don’t want it to. I want to have a handle on my fear. When the discomfort passed, I felt that all was right again. It got me thinking that I need to remember that when actual labor comes. Well, that and practise at calming myself when things get intense.

I love the affirmations and explanations about how women’s bodies are designed to give birth, and babies bodies are designed to be birthed. For instance, at birth the bones in babies skulls are separated so that they are malleable and can overlap or move around so that emerging through the birth canal will be easier (on both mom and babe). Whew!

Respectable Kid Pad

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I read this article called Rooms to Stop the Young From Straying that was posted today on the New York Times internet news site that was about parents creating whole rooms for their kids to hang out in and entertain their friends. The idea is to keep the kids close to home. This way parents would know where their kids are and what they are up to.

The pictures of these rooms depict a whole other world that I have never known. These rooms are posher that the places I have lived! They are decked out in comfy designer furniture with gaming and entertainment systems and more.

One family did use existing furniture to decorate the room plus $5,000 to outfit the rest of it. This is compared to another family whose budget for the kids entertainment room was $175,000. Wow. I suppose if I started saving now that by the time my son is a teenager I could save up around $5,000… but that didn’t include the furniture. Hmm.

Some of the other reasons to create these spaces for kids were for them to be social and entertain (one room even had its own kitchen!) as well as to have a space that they could get dirty (you know, from when they came in from the backyard pool).

Anyway, my take away is that it would be great to have a room for the kids to have their own fun in and to keep them happy at home where it is a safe place to play. And, investing things like gas and movie money into something like a great home theatre seems like a nice idea.

I want my son to feel comfortable and empowered regardless of if we have a dedicated social space at home from him and his friends or not. Building a foundation where there is good communication and respect is what is most important to me.

I can’t wait for this awesome challenge and adventure Billy and I are about to embark on in raising a child. Wow.

Pregnancy Photos

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It has crossed my mind to have some artful photos taken of my pregnant body. The question is: clothed or unclothed… or partially clothed.

Then there is the fact that most times when people take my picture I get uncomfortable. Camera shy sums it up. But I must admit, I love it when pictures of me come out great. Unfortunately most times I just end up looking awkward because I feel awkward. Sigh.

Billy said to me “this is a really beautiful time for you” and suggested that we hire someone to take photos of me (without knowing that I too had thought about this). I didn’t hire anyone because I felt bad spending the money and I don’t know if any good ones would come out of it on account of the awkwardness I spoke of.

I have tried to take my own with the camera set on a timer. I haven’t downloaded them yet because what if they didn’t come out very well? Well, if they didn’t I will just try again. You see, I fancy myself as a amateur photographer and would love to get this deed done myself. I would feel accomplished, and richer.