It seems as though more and more women are seeing the benefit of having a natural birth without pain medications such as epidurals.  Epidurals are known to increase the rates of cesarean sections and can have an affect on your unborn child.  A good blogging friend of mine, who has a wonderful creative blog over at The Southern Institute that covers everything from crafting, fashion, and cooking has written an ebook called Unbound Birth: How to Have a Natural Birth in the Hospital.  Jenny makes her home in Nashville, Tennessee and is a childbirth educator, mama of three, and a farmer’s market frequenter like me.

After reading her ebook a couple of nights ago, I strongly believe that this is a book that every mother should read to get her started on her journey of what her birth choices are.  Jenny’s ebook is easy to read, to the point, and like you are having a cup of coffee with her.  She covers birth stories of all three of her little ones and gives you the big picture of her journey as a mom giving birth.  She also has great information on why to hiring a doula can be important for your birth team, the importance of nutrition during pregnancy, as well as a host of other useful information.

I loved this book because, I felt like Jenny’s story is much of the same as mine.  And, her heart much like mine is to help educate women so that they can have a satisfying and empowering birth experience.  If you are pregnant, or know of a pregnant mommy make sure you go to Jenny’s website Unbound Birth, click around and read the testimonials of the book and her heart behind it.  I know that you won’t be disappointed!

Unbound Birth retails for $4.99 and can be purchased for your Kindle, Nook, or in PDF format.

Then, please visit my site Endless Blessings and find out how you can have the support you need to have a little blessing in the high country!  Sign up for our newsletters to get great pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting information so that you can have the best birth possible!   And, stop by next week for some great promotions that we will have happening!

Many of you already know, or have read that hubby and I are expecting our third child.  We are very excited for this little bambino to come along.  There may be nothing more hilarious in our lives right now that our 3 year-old boy and our 20 month-old girl.  Between those two little boogers we are (almost) always laughing and smiling.  Because we have been blessed by having a boy and then a girl we figured with #3 it would be great to be surprised and not find out the sex of the baby this time around.  I mean we already have all the baby stuff we need right?  At least, we are blessed with clothing for both sexes.

Even though we have most baby stuff imaginable, I recently took a poll of parents to find out what their favorite of favorite baby products are.  I was curious and was wondering if I had the best of the best.  And, it is unfortunate to me that I am missing some of these great products.  I think I will be needing to make up a little registry.

If you are having a little one, here are some must have baby products that parents say that they rather not live without.  You might want to take note and add them to your baby registry! Or, if you are looking for some fabulous baby shower gifts you may not want to miss out on this list so that mama can get all that she needs!

My Breast Friend Nursing Pillow

Earth Mama Angel Baby Booby Tubes

Ergo Baby Carrier

Moby Wrap

Nosefrida The Snotsucker Nasal Aspirator - Yes you read that right!

HALO sleep sacks

Swaddle Blankets

Sound Machine

Baby Bee Dusting Powder

What about you?  Do you have any baby products that you’d rather not live without?

Having a baby or know someone who is?  Stop by Endless Blessings Birth and get the support you need to have a little blessing in the High Country!

Choices for prenatal vitamins are abundant. You can easily stop by any drugstore, grocery store, health food store, or even a pharmacist and find a choice for a prenatal vitamin.  But, are all prenatal vitamins really the same? Are you really getting the same nutrition for a little pink pill that you are a green pill or a tan colored pill?  Does it really matter which one you take or if you take one at all?

Most of the time, care providers will tell you to take a prenatal vitamin because you most likely aren’t getting enough nutrients from your food.  I have even had care providers tell me that as long as I am taking a prenatal vitamin that it really doesn’t matter which vitamin that it is, most of the time they really don’t check to see which one you are taking they just ask if you are taking one.

After spending years researching natural health and wellness, even though I’m do not carry a degree in health or nutrition my research tells me that not all prenatal vitamins are created equal. And, certainly not all vitamins that you take on a regular basis are created equal either.  And, with so many choices out there how does one know which vitamin to choose?  How do you know the vitamin that you are taking is actually doing its job?

I know you want the best for you and your baby.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself when choosing a vitamin prenatal or not:

What does the label say? Can you understand what is in the vitamin?  Does it contain any synthetic ingredients, artificial colors or fillers?  As you already might have guessed it is best to stay away from ingredients you can’t read, artificial colors, preservatives, or anything that doesn’t belong in a vitamin.

Does it contain any superfoods or whole food sources?  Your body is designed to get its nutrients from food.  Often times some supplements don’t contain pure ingredients, contain manufactured nutrients, or are packaged in a way that our body can’t really  handle the vitamin anyway.  It is always best to take supplements that come in whole food forms.  Your body will process it best and be able to use all the nutrients contained in the whole food.  The last thing you want is to take a supplement that your body doesn’t recognize and your body won’t use it anyway.  If that happens there goes the extra nutrition you were trying to add to your diet as well as the money that you spent on that “nutrition”.   There are many herbal supplements that are wonderful as well because they contain herbs that are packed full of nutrients good for you and your baby.

Is the company reputable?  The company really does matter.  There are lots of vitamins on the market, but you will often times get the most for your money if you are spending a few extra bucks.  Typically good companies do cost a little more than the drugstore version.  Make sure you do you research before you buy or ask around.

Still need a little help? Here are some of my personal favorite sources!

Vitacost.com- There are lots and lots of great quality products to choose from.  The New Chapter prenatal vitamins are amazing and include whole foods and probiotic support.    And, don’t pass up the WholeOmega prenatals especially when you get to the 20 week mark to ensure your little one has help in brain development. Click through this link and get a free $10 towards your purchase.

Beeyoutiful.com- I may have mentioned it here before, but the Super Mom vitamins are one of my favorites.  I am using them personally for my pregnancy right now.  They are high quality and a whole food.

Pregnant and in need of support in Childbirth?  Don’t forget to stop by this post or share it with a friend who might need some free support. 

As I look back on our diaper experience I have to giggle a little bit. When my son was born in 2008 my husband and I thought some friends of ours were crazy to use cloth diapers.  All we kept thinking about was how much work and trouble it was to cloth diaper.  My husband always said, “I will get another job before I cloth diaper.”  But, since my husband always ends up doing what he said he would never do in 2010 when our little girl was born we decided to take on cloth diapering.  We still have my 3-year-old son in disposables (while praying fervently that he has a desire to finally use the potty), but little girl has been trucking along almost since day one in the cloth.

What changed our minds? Being big Dave Ramsey fans, we are always looking for ways to cut corners and save a few bucks.  Cloth diapering seemed like a great option.  When the average parent puts on 8000-10,000 diapers in two or three years that comes out to a lot of cash!  Another thing that appealed to me was to have no chemicals on little girl’s bottom.  Many disposable diapers contain chlorine, perfumes and other yucky things that I didn’t want to put on my baby’s bottom.  The skin absorbs much of what we put on it like a sponge.  Much of the substances that we put on our skin will get absorbed directly into our body.  Once theses substances get absorbed they by-pass any organs that filter toxins from the body, thus absorbing directly into tissues and sometimes the blood stream.  So, we should be careful about what we put on our skin.  So, cloth diapers greatly appealed to me for that reason.  And, it cuts down on waste.  Being a Christian I believe that we should take care of the earth that God has given us, diapers create A TON of waste.  Going cloth would be a very easy way to cut down on waste.  Plus, trash and toxins in our landfills get absorbed by the ground and recycles into our drinking water. Who knows what yucky things we are drinking when we don’t filter our water, sadly much of it is due to our own waste.

Cloth diapers can be purchased in all sorts of price ranges.  We use the Flip Diaper System because it is easy to use and very inexpensive.  I’m pretty sure we own 3 boxes and several extra inserts.  This comes out to a little under $200.  I also like these diapers because kids can grow into them.  There are snaps that help make the diaper cover bigger or smaller depending on the age and size of your child.  I’m fairly sure we have pretty incredible savings since we rarely buy a package of diapers for little girl.  Yay for saving money!

What about you, if you have little ones do you cloth diaper or not?  What are your reasons?

Over the past weekend two DONA approved trainers; Mickey Jones and Sarah McKay, visited the High Country from Nashville, Tennessee and in order to train a wonderful group of women to be birth doulas.  These women came from all over the state of North Carolina and even one from South Carolina to learn the ins and outs of what it takes to be a childbirth doula and give women the support they so desperately need during the birthing process.  And, I was privileged to be able to host the training. After having my two children, I have always wanted to support women in the process and in the education of all that they can do to have the satisfying birth experience that they desire.

After all, the birth of your children is a very significant experience.  While at the training we were read a study where women were called and asked about their childbirth experience shortly after their child’s birth.  Then, they were called again 15 to 20 years later to recall the same experience.  The study found it very interesting that mothers recalled almost word for word their birth experiences.  Not only did they recall all the details, but they had the same emotions about the experience as well.  You can read this fascinating study here.

I am very excited to announce that I am now a DONA trained doula.  I will be working towards full certification from DONA International and I am excited to begin serving women in the High Country area.

Now, I know some readers out there may have a few questions like…

What is a doula?

A doula comes from the ancient greek and means “a women who serves.”  A doula will give non-medical, physical, emotional and informational support to women just before, during, and then just after birth.  A doula is a professional support to the mom before, during, and after birth.

Why hire a doula?

Studies have shown that women who hire doulas often need less medical intervention, they have shorter labors, heathier babies, and the babies breastfeed more easily.

To understand all your options as well as the benefits and risks associated with each option during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

To have someone assist you in carrying out the plans you have for your birth.

It will give your partner more freedom to participate in the birthing process.

So that the women in labor will have someone by her side throughout the process.

To facilitate communication between the laboring women, her partner, and clinical care providers.

So that the mother will have someone to support her through the birthing process in more ways than the birth. A doula will provide a mother emotional, physical and informational support to aid her throughout the process.

Do you have any other questions about how a doula can help you during childbirth?  Feel free to leave your comments below and I will answer them for you.  If you have any questions that you’d like answered in privacy feel free to email me at ourpeacefulhome [at] yahoo [dot] com

Local Blogger Makes Good. Somehow convinces Baby Center to let her write for them.

My first guest post at Baby Center’s Momformation Blog is up! Here’s my take on 10 Common Reactions to Large Families in Public: 

Leaving small children home alone while running around from store to store is generally frowned upon, for some reason, so I have to take my brood—there are only four of them, but they perform this optical illusion that makes them seem like ten–with me wherever I go. I’m an enthusiastic people-watcher, and my little supermarket stressors provide ample opportunity to learn more about human nature.

Read the rest here! Don’t forget to comment.

BabyCenter.com officially re-launched their blog, Momformation, in September with a new look, new content, and new writers! Momformation has a great collection of voices, with over 30 bloggers contributing regularly

I’ve recently joined BabyCenter.com’s Momformation Blog Network, a handpicked group of 50 to 100 mom and dad bloggers from all stages of parenthood. In addition to serving as guest bloggers on Momformation, we’ll be eligible to participate in interactive marketing programs with BabyCenter.

I’m really excited for the opportunity to support and partner with a site that is such an extraordinary resource for moms. I’m also excited to see my first guest blog published today!

Click here to read “7 Droid Apps for Kids”

At one time China was one of the most popular international adoption programs.  However in the past few years they have added more guidelines to their adoption procedures.  These guidelines are not meant to deter families interested in adoption, but more to help guarantee the welfare of their children.  As always, this is just an overview, so if you are interested in adoption, please seek guidance from an adoption professional.

About China

Population:  1.3 billion peopleLanguage(s):  Standard Chinese or Mandarin (for other languages see   http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcchina.htm)
Currency: Yuan
Capital:  Beijing

Who Can Adopt

• Married couples between 30 to 50 years old.  The age of the couple will influence the age of the child assigned.
• Couples must be married at least two years.

*Note:  If previously divorced, couples must be married at least five years, and no more than two divorces per couple.

• No more than four children in the home.
• Couples must be mentally and physically in good condition.  Certain illnesses and disabilities may affect adoption eligibility.  See further information regarding health requirements at the U.S. Department of State.
• For further requirements see U.S. Department of State or speak with an accredited adoption professional.

China Adoption Highlights

• Primarily female infants, ages 8 months to 18 months are available for adoption.  In some cases toddlers and boys may be available.  Special needs children are also available.
• The cost for adoption is approximately $20,000 to $30,000.
• The approximate wait time is three years.
• The in-country stay is about two weeks and only one trip is required.
• Children can be adopted from either an orphanage or foster care.
• A home study and post placement report is required for adoption.

If you are interested in learning more about international adoption, please send me an e-mail at thehowellfamily3@gmail.com.

On May 8^th I will be hosting an information meeting about international adoption at the Watauga Public Library.  Send me an email if you are interested in attending.

http://adopt.childrenshope.net/programs/china/index.php
http://www.whfc.org/adoption/china/default.htm
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china
http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/chinapopulation.htm

I’ve really enjoyed reading the series on adoptions, but with four biological and two stepchildren of my own, adoption is not an option.  However, I wanted to share another way that anyone can make a significant change in the life of child- child sponsorship.  We’ve all seen the commercials on TV and, if you’re like me, you’ve been cynical about where the money actually goes.

While in Uganda, I got an opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of the impact of child sponsorship.  The nonprofit I work with there is headed by a young man who, because of a German sponsor, was able to go to college and now runs empowerment projects in his own village as well as 4 other rural, impoverished villages.  I’ve been to his house and I see how meagerly he lives. I’ve met the children that receive sponsorship through his program and I see how they benefit.    Needless to say, I was sold. I now have 3 “extra” children. I am fortunate in that I get to visit them every year.  With that said, as sponsorship grows in this area, I look forward to being able to deliver gifts, letters, and pictures on my yearly trips.

4 year old twins, Amina and Aisha

Paul, who wants to be lawyer, and I

Here are just a few, locally based ways to help:

• If you are interested in sponsoring a child in Uganda, you can get more information by contacting partnershipuganda@charter.net.

• There will a benefit concert on Sunday, April 18^th at 7pm in I.G. Greer Auditorium on the campus of Appalachian State University.  Admission is by donation and one raffle ticket will be given for each admission dollar donated.  This concert will feature local talents such as Alexis Worthington, Ear Candy, Bruce Robertson, Renee Taylor, and the Andrew Jacobs Trio. Proceeds will benefit the Uganda Service Learning Program, a yearly trip to Uganda to engage in community building projects and educational activities.

• If you’re interested in learning more about opportunities to serve in Uganda or would like to make a join in other efforts such as purchasing livestock for animal husbandry projects (only $20 for a pig!) or hosting bead jewelry parties,  see youth4uganda.com or contact tiffanychristian@youth4uganda.com

I know that each child sponsorship program is different, but I urge you to investigate the options. It may sound trite, but it is true: $1 a day does make a tremendous difference in the lives of many children.

Next in our adoption spot light is Ethiopia.  This is just an overview, so if you are interested in adoption, please seek guidance from an adoption professional.

About Ethiopia

Location:  Northeastern part of Africa near the Red Sea

Population:  74.8 million

Language(s):  Amharic, Oromo, Tigrinya and Somali

Currency: Birr

Capital:  Addis Ababa

Who Can Adopt

• Couples with or without children from ages 20 to 50.  Anyone past the age of 55 is reviewed on a case by case basis.
• Couples must be married for at least one year at the time of application.
• No more than two divorces.
• Families with mental and health issues are considered on a case by case basis.

*Note:  I found conflicting information related to singles applicants.  If you are single and are interested in adopting from Ethiopia, seek guidance from an adoption professional.

Ethiopian Adoption Highlights

• Infants to children 15 years old are available for adoption.
• Healthy and special needs children are available as well as sibling groups.
• Adoption from Ethiopia only requires one trip which usually last five to seven days.  One parent can travel alone if necessary.
• The wait time for Ethiopia varies but can be estimated between 15 to 20 months once your paperwork has been submitted in-country.
• Adoption expenses for Ethiopia range from approximately $21,000 to $28,000 for a couple adopting one child.
• Pre-adoption and post-adoption home studies are required.  Families must also submit yearly informal updates until the adopted child turns 15 years of age.

If you are interested in learning more about international adoption, please send me an e-mail at thehowellfamily3@gmail.com.

On May 8^th I will be hosting an information meeting about international adoption at the Watauga Public Library.  Send me an email if you are interested in attending.

http://adopt.childrenshope.net/programs/colombia/index.php

http://www.whfc.org/adoption/ethiopia/default.htm

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ethiopia