Love thy Labels.

No, not the ones on your clothing or your car or your purse. I am talking about the ones we give ourselves, the ones others give us, the ones that we use to define who we are.

There has been a lot written this past week about labels and about using our words well, especially when speaking to or about mothers and/or our parenting choices and styles.  The lovely Amber McCann wrote this post and it really got me thinking about the labels we use daily. And then I read Claire Weissinger's essay entitled "Watch Your Language" and that gave me even more food for thought.  I agree with these ladies wholeheartedly that yes, words are very, VERY powerful. If they weren't, would the blogging world be what it is today?

Words do a lot of things.

They connect us.

They divide us.

They make us feel good and yes, they can make us feel awful too.

And words define us.

Take a look at yours and anyone else's profile or bio on any of the multiple social media sites you are on and you will likely see things like this:

"Breastfeediing, Cloth Diapering, Co-sleeping, non-vaxing, home-schooling, crunchy mama to (insert # of children here)"

"Tech mommy"

"Geek Chic"

"Writer"

"Liberal"

"Conservative"

"Nutty"

"Foodie"

"WAHM", "SAHM", "SAHD"

"Artist"

"Breast Cancer Survivor"

"Entrepreneur"

"Mompreneur"

"Feminist"

"Vegan"

"Lactivist"

"Attachment Parent"

And the list goes on and on and on and on....

These are the labels that we give ourselves. The ones we write down or type into our iPads and laptops and smart phones and put out there for the world to see.

We do this for one reason.

We do this for connection. To say to the world-wide web, "This is me and I like me. Are YOU like me?"

I like to call this finding your tribe. And really, is this not the first thing you tell people who are new to social media sites? Especially Twitter? We tell newbies to "Go forth young tweeter and follow people who have the same interests as you. The ones that validate your own labels and share your beliefs." At least that is how it starts right? And then you find other people or they find you, and maybe they question your labels and beliefs and then Wowie, Zowie, you learn something new-either about yourself or the world!  Or you just block them. ;)

I personally have chosen the label "Lipstick Crunchy" for myself. I am crunchy in the sense that I use cloth diapers for my children, I breastfeed said children to at least age three, I am such an avid babywearer that I have sought certification as a Babywearing Educator, I buy local & organic food as much as I can and I eliminate as many toxic chemicals in our house as possible. And I have a secret obsession for all things tye-dyed!

I am Lipstick in the sense that I spend at least $150.00 every few months on my hair (but I do get bonus points here because my stylist uses organic hair dyes). I have no problem wearing leather in the form of a really gorgeous and killer pair of chocolate-brown knee-high boots, I do NOT own any full length 100% hemp skirts, and I just can't DO mama cloth or family cloth because of the 'ick' factor. I believe that holistic and modern medicine can co-exist and that vaccines are important in our world (just maybe on more of a delayed/extended schedule than currently recommended). Oh yeah, and the new Smarties with their 'no artificial colours' - HATE THEM! And yes, I still eat Smarties-even though Nestle makes them (don't all GASP at once)!

There are many other reasons that my label fits me and I am GOOD with all of them. I am proud of the person that I am (I have worked damn hard to get here) and if I have to write a bio somewhere, you can bet that I am going to write my label down for all to see.

So, yes, words are powerful. We DO have to watch how we use them in this blogging, Twittering, Facebooking world. But I say we should also embrace them and OWN them. When that happens, then NO ONE can use those words and those labels to hurt you or make you feel bad or guilty about anything!

Live it and love it!

Natasha~

Putting things back where they belong....

Yesterday, my good friend Lara, from MamaPear Designs and I were tweeting and the conversation moved towards boobs, which it often does when the two of us get going! I told her that I did not get any "Push Presents" when the kids were born because Natural Urban Dad is saving up for my post-breastfeeding career boob job. Here is what she had to say.

And then the two of us got curious and pretty much simultaneously posted status updates on Twitter and Facebook asking everyone what their thoughts were on this topic. The responses where surprising and extremely candid. Some women want a lift, some want a reduction, some want implants and some just want all of us Mamas to accept the bodies we have and leave well enough alone.

Personally, here are my thoughts.

I have been breastfeeding for 4 years, 4 months and 27 days (or as like to look at it 1,609 DAYS STRAIGHT!!). And for reals people, THAT amount of engorgement, suckling, pumping, nursing, latching, 5 minutes here, an hour there, a few bites thrown in for good measure and all the good, the bad and the ugly of breastfeeding, makes for some seriously sorry-looking ta-tas on this mama!

Now don't get me wrong, I can make them look good in a nice bra and I have graduated to non-nursing bras now, but I would really like to step out of the shower one day and not have to raise my arms above my head to have my boobs where I WANT them to be. I really don't think that is too much to ask.

AND, I am constantly telling my kids to pick up after themselves and put their toys and clothes back where they belong. Is it wrong to just want MY things to be put back where they belong?

Now, now, I can just hear some of you saying, but Natasha, they are where they belong. They are your big saggy badges of motherhood and you should be proud of them. I AM proud of what I have done with them. I have nourished and nurtured and comforted my children with them for over four years. And these puppies have done a bang up job at it too and I would not trade all of those days of breastfeeding for anything.

But I have other badges of motherhood and at my age, I feel like if I let things get too saggy and baggy, they will end up staying that way forever! So, when L and I are done our breastfeeding (and we are totally on a child-led weaning schedule, so this is no time soon!) and Natural Urban Dad and I have finally decided whether or not we are finished having babies, then I will make an appointment with a highly recommended plastic surgeon and get the ball rolling on operation "Put Things Back Where They Belong!"

In the meantime, if you are thinking about breast augmentation at all, YES, there is an APP for that!!

Check out what I found in the App Store today.  The iAugment app lets you take a picture of your girls (clothed or not) and then you can choose the size (amount of augmentation) you want and you can visual what your new set will look like!! Shake the phone to start over and try a different pair on for size (literally)!!

Until I am done with breastfeeding though, I will just have to be happy with some really great bras and don't be surprised if you see me walking around with my arms up over my head! I may be Crunchy people, but do remember the Lipstick part of it too and know that I am a tad vain that way! And I totally accept that part of myself!

What about you? Any plans to enhance, lift, reduce or otherwise 'clean-up' after you are done breastfeeding and having kids?

Natasha~

What makes a natural birth "natural"?

I read an interesting article in our local paper today and it got me thinking about childbirth and birthing options and what women consider a natural childbirth. I have birthed two children in the past 4 years. And I have always considered my births for both of these little people to be natural. Yet lately, I have come to realize that some might disagree. What constitutes a natural childbirth these days? Is a vaginal birth a natural one even if you have some kind of medical induction or form of pain relief?

My first pregnancy was a complicated one. I developed gestational hypertension (very high blood pressure) at around 26 weeks, was in and out of hospital on bed rest for a few weeks and then put on strict bed rest at home. Because of the hypertension, my son also had intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and was not a very big baby. We had weekly ultrasounds to chart his growth and at 35 weeks he had stopped growing completely and the decision was made to induce me.

Because of the complications throughout my pregnancy we were prepared for whatever needed to be done during the birth, but my preference had always been for it to be a vaginal birth with minimal interventions. We had hired a doula and were all set for our Monday morning induction.

The method of induction chosen was with a Cervidil (prostaglandin) vaginal insert to ripen my 35 week pregnant cervix. I was told that this could take anywhere from 12-24 hours to take effect and that I could also expect that it may have to be repeated. What actually happened was that within 2 hours I was having mild contractions, within 5 hours I had entered transition (read puking and passed mucous plug) and within 8 hours my water broke, I was fully dilated and I WAS PUSHING! This was all of course VERY much to the surprise of the nursing staff that had refused to believe that I was in "active" labour this whole time and that all of my contractions where 'pre-labor' ones.

My son was born about 5 minutes later, after 3 big pushes and with nary an obstetrician in sight!! Needless to say, within about 3o seconds of his birth we had a full room of about 17 people, including the team from NICU that whisked him away for further assessment after a quick peek and a kiss from mommy. Natural birth? I sure think so.

My second pregnancy was the complete opposite. VERY normal, no issues with my blood pressure at all or any IUGR. I was 41 weeks pregnant when the decision was made with my obstetrician to induce me again. I was extremely uncomfortable (read - big as a house!) and really just wanted to have this baby. We went the Cervidil route again since it worked so well the last time.  I was about 2-3 cm dilated already at this point, so it did not take long for me to be in active labour again. Thankfully, this time everyone believed me! I had a very specific birth plan this time around and did not want ANY interventions. We had our original and might I add, rather amazing doula with us again as well as our back-up doula. I don't think my labour was significantly longer with my daughter, but it was definitely harder. I managed to make it to 8.5 cm on my own, sitting on the birthing ball in the shower with my husband directing the hot water on my back the whole time.

And then I needed some help. And yes, at that point I BEGGED for an epidural and uttered those famous words....

"I can't do this!"

But you know what, I did not get the epidural and I did DO IT! Why? Because I had an amazing birth team that knew what I really wanted and supported me and helped me through that last hump. I did suck back on some nitrous oxide to take the edge off of those last few really tough contractions and 9 hours after my Cervidil induction I was fully dilated and after 20 minutes of pushing, my beautiful baby girl was born. And again I have always considered hers a natural birth too.

What do you think? Did I have "natural birth" experiences? Did you? Is the whole concept of birthing naturally on more of a spectrum or is it very black and white?

I'd love to hear your thoughts....

Natasha~

Happy Mother's Day!!

It has been a busy Mother's Day weekend around here. But in a good way. I got to spend time with the most important mothers in my life. My mother, my sister and my mother-in-law. My sister and mom and I toured some local greenhouses on Saturday and we had my in-laws over for brunch today.

My family let me have a fabulous 3.5 hour nap today (which probably explains why I am up writing at 12:42 AM!!) we had a great family walk after dinner and Natural Urban Dad and I topped off the day by watching a really nice movie tonight (Love and Other Drugs-I'll have more to say about this film in a later post).  All in all, it was just the perfect weekend.

I do have more that I want to say on the whole "Mother's Day" thing, but for now, and because I really should get to bed, here are a few highlights from my weekend.

I hope you all had a wonderful day doing whatever it is that makes you happy!

Hugs,

Natasha~

P.S. This week-long hiatus from the blog is DONE! Did you miss me??

DAY 30!!

Wow, I have actually done it! I have written and posted 30 blog posts (both here and on Mom Nation) in the last 30 days. I know I would not have done it had I not been Triple-Dog Dared by the ever-fabulous Jennifer Banks. And I can't thank her enough for the 'push'!

Moving my blog from Blogger to Wordpress was a big deal for me and this 30 day challenge was the perfect way for me to really immerse myself into Wordpress and really figure out all the ins and outs and cool things that can be done with their great open source blogging service. If you are thinking of making the move, I can only say one thing. GO FOR IT! It is a learning curve, but one that you will master in no time and is so worth it!

And as of today (and thank you VERY, VERY MUCH everyone) my little blog has had just over 6000 all-time views. Not bad for five weeks right? I really hope that you will all stick around for a while and keep reading and visiting!

Blogging and writing is not something that I ever thought I was any good at and what I am finding out is that I am actually not that bad at it and I am truly enjoying this form of expressing myself! I have to let you all know that all your comments, here, on Facebook and on Twitter have all been read and I do so appreciate your encouragement and I am humbled by your compliments!

I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the search terms that have directed people to my blog. Some of these have given me quite a laugh! Some make total sense and some are just kind of well....wierd!

Here they are:

• natasha breastfeeding (Okay, I really hope this was a mommy!)
• woven wrap canada (This one makes me happy and I hope they found what they were looking for!)
• hemorrhoids and babywearing (Not a problem I have had or something I think is a big BWing issue.)
• hebammenzeitschrift 2010 pdf (I have NO idea what this means??)
• hot milf pictures (Yeah baby, that's right!!)
• and my all time favourite one....

• FROZEN SPEEDOS

Regardless of how people are finding my blog, I am so glad that they are and I hope that those of you who are reading on a regular basis will subscribe via email so that you never miss a post. (See that nice little button up in the right hand corner? CLICK IT!)

I am going to write one more post this weekend and then will be taking a week off from blogging. I think I deserve it and I promise to be back regularly after that.

Thank you again for reading and sharing.

BIG LOVE,

Natasha~

One more for the road.

The other day I spontaneously started crying in my car on the way home from picking up my oldest from preschool. Why you ask?

Because I have recently come to the realization that I may actually want to have another child.

If you had asked me a year ago if I wanted more kids, I would have said, "No Way Jose! We are done. My next 'babies' are going to be the stunning and perky boobie kind that I get from a plastic surgeon!" And not only that, but my husband has always only wanted two children and we have one of each, so we are good. Right?

Wrong. Here I am, seriously LONGING for another child in our lives. I swear it is to the point that I can literally feel my ovaries popping out eggs every time I am near a baby or a pregnant woman. And in my line of work, that is quite often.

So I've been gingerly trying to bring up the topic with my husband for the past few weeks to gauge his receptiveness to this whole idea. I have dropped little hints every now and then about babies and being pregnant again and of course, being the man that he is, he has remained totally oblivious. So the other night I just said it outright to him.

"Honey, I think I want to have another kid."

And his response was, "WHAT? Are you serious? I thought we were done!!"

It was pretty much what I expected him to say. And then we had a long conversation about what that would mean for us and why he doesn't think it is the best idea. I listened to him and I know that all of his reasons for NOT having another child are good ones and make total sense.

• We will be OUTNUMBERED! A scary thought in and of itself.
• I have to go off of my Rheumatoid Arthritis meds and I have a history of high risk pregnancy.
• I will be a 40 year old woman in 9 months and the risks of having a child with Down's Syndrome goes up rather exponentially at that age (1/75).
• Where would we put the kid?? We are building a three bedroom house (I told him this one doesn't really fly-the kids can share rooms!)
• He was just starting to look forward to 'getting me back'. I know this sounds terrible, but I see where he is coming from. I have been nursing for 4 years, we have been co-sleeping for most of that time as well, and we have not taken a couples only holiday since our first son was conceived in 2006.

He also said something to me that made me really think. He told me that I need to realize that motherhood is not just about being pregnant and breastfeeding and babywearing and all the "baby" stuff. Our kids need me in a different way now and I need to be able to grow-up as a mother, just as much as they are growing up and into little people. (Damn him and his logical, I am making too much sense, brain!)

And when he asked me WHY I felt the need to have another child, all I really had for him was that I just did. I can't explain it rationally, and no, it really does not make a whole lot of sense, but I just FEEL like I am not done yet. And I did not have these feelings a year ago, or even six months ago, but something has changed and it is a deep down gut feeling that we are supposed to do this.

We have not come to a decision just yet. I have asked him that we keep the discussion open and on the table. And he has agreed to that. He really is a good man.

All I can say is that right now I feel like sparklers are shooting out of my pelvic region a la Katy Perry in her Fireworks video every time I am anywhere remotely close to a baby or pregnant mama.

Just stand back a bit....

Natasha~

We {baby} Wear, We Walk, We are a Community.

An excuse to get out of the house. A reason to get outside. Some great exercise. A chance to get some cozy carrier cuddles with a little one. And above all else a chance to be part of a community. One that in my humble opinion is absolutely amazing! This is what our Babywearing Walks are all about and just a few of the reasons that Erin from Cosy Baby, Happy Mommy and I started them last summer.

Today was our first outdoor walk of the Spring. And even though Mother Nature decided to make it quite the chilly day and construction and parking threatened to totally derail us, we managed to all find each other, to wrap, buckle and tie our babies and toddlers onto ourselves and to have a great walk.

I am so excited for the next one and for the great opportunity to spend time with such an amazing (and ever-growing) group of mamas. If you are local and want to come on out and join us, then just keep an eye on our website and our Facebook page for future dates and locations.

If you are not local, what about starting your own babywearing walking group? For all of the reasons above and so much more!

Happy Babywearing Everyone!

Natasha~

Every Mother Counts

I don't buy a lot of music these days. It gets downloaded, or watched on YouTube or listened to on one of the many Apple devices that are scattered throughout our home, but I am not doing a lot of going out and buying of an actual CD. Until recently.

And at Starbucks of all places.

A few weeks ago, I picked up the not one but TWO CDs at my local Starbucks coffee shop. The amazing new album from ADELE and another one called Mele O Hawaii (I believe we have already covered my love of Hawaii this week and I needed this one mostly because I was REALLY sick and tired of our six months of dreary winter).

I love both of these CDs and they have quickly become my new in-car listening tunes (Sorry Glee Volumes 1 and 2).

So, when I went to get a coffee earlier this week at a different Starbucks location, I noticed a new CD called Every Mother Counts. And, well, you just have to know that with a title like that, I was going to pick it up. And then seeing names like Ani Difranco and Martha Wainwright and Angelique Kidjo on it.....of course I bought it.

Then I actually got to my car, unwrapped the CD and put it in the player and love, love, LOVED every track on it.  I read the album cover and insert and learned more about why this amazing compilation was created and about the cause and the documentary that Christie Turlington has directed and is about to debut on Mother's Day weekend on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

And I was sold. On so much more than just a CD.

Here is the gist for you.

Christy Turlington suffered some pretty serious complications after the birth of her daughter. Luckily, she had a great team of health care professionals who worked quickly to remedy the situation and all ended well. But what she learned after this experience was that for over half a million women worldwide that is NOT the case, and the results are fatal....and 90% of these deaths are completely preventable!

Christy was inspired to make a documentary film about at risk pregnant women around the world and to share their stories, raise awareness of the problems that exist and "help create a mainstream maternal health movement that ensures the lives and well-being of mothers worldwide, for generations to come."

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F6hngJFGOk&feature=player_embedded]

Birth and motherhood. Two things that are so, so dear to my heart. How could I not want to be involved and get involved in this movement?

So today when Christy tweeted that she wanted pictures of Canadians who had purchased the Every Mother Counts CD, I quickly snapped this and sent it her way.

And she tweeted back to me!! And now, after perusing the whole Every Mother Counts website and reading about the staggering worldwide maternal health statistics, I can't help but think of more ways to get involved and to take action.

I have the CD, which by the way, not only supports the cause, but also features some of the most amazing and talented female singers around (and yes, it has even bumped Glee Volume 3!) and I am now thinking that a local Edmonton Watch Party for "No Woman, No Cry' may be in order.

I am encouraging all of you to take action as well. There are many ways that you can do so and you can find them all here on the Every Mother Counts website.

So Mamas?  Can we Count YOU In?

Thank you,

Natasha~