HOUSE OF BABIES

Michelle will be giving birth at the Miami Maternity Center. Discovery Health Channel did a series on the Miami Maternity Center called House of Babies. Click on the link and it will take you to a page with the next schedule air dates for the different episodes. There are 26 episodes in total, focusing on all sorts of different pregnancy issues.

So, out-of-towners, you can still see where it will all happen, check out the waterbirth method, and meet the head midwife Sheri Daniels.

In town family will be waiting outside of the birthing room, but in the birthing suite. They even having rocking chairs on the porch. Michelle says the more the merrier in the birthing room, but Mark's family seems to be a bit squeemish.

The Complete Organic Pregnancy

This is the book that Mark got for me when we started trying to concieve. It was a life saver. I knew I wanted to be as healthy as possible... but what does that mean? Where do I start? How many things are in my house, effecting me right now, that I know nothing about?

If you are serious about doing everything you can to have as healthy a pregnancy and baby as possible, you should read this book.

We highly recommend it.

Michelle

EPIDURALS

The following is a link to the American Pregnancy Association. I think they do a good job of being non-biased and presenting all the information on Epidurals.

I, of course, focused on the Disadvantages and the the Q & A towards the bottom.

I just don't feel that it is worth the side effects on the labor, delivery or, most importantly, the baby.

The next link is to a sample consent form you might be asked to sign at a hospital if you were to elect an epidural.

It reads like one of those drug commercials we all laugh at because the side effects are worse than the symptoms the drug was supposed to treat in the first place.

Michelle

The Business of Being Born

This is a link to the trailer / preview of a documentary by Ricki Lake called The Business of Being Born.

It really looks fabulous. I hope a lot of women see it before they become pregnant and so are more informed about the choices they should make.

Michelle

We're having a baby!

POPULAR QUESTIONS

1) When are you due?
January 26
2) Is it a boy or a girl?
We want to be suprised. Won't find out till he or she gets here!
3) Have you guys thought of any names yet?
If it is a boy, we are pretty much set on Keith Richard. (yes, you read that right. call for the
whole story on how that came about.) If it is a girl, the current favorite is Layla Ann. (Named after a song, just like Michelle was.) But the name does mean "dark beauty" in Arabic, and it is possible for us to have a blonde kid. If so, second choice is Danielle Lee. (Sharing momma's middle name like Keith will share his daddy's.)
4) Do you have a birth plan yet?
Yes, but not on paper. Michelle plans to do a water birth at the Miami Maternity Center
under the care of midwives. They also do the prenatal care. Absolutely no drugs, as natural as
possible. It is very important for both Michelle and Mark, and it obviously what is best for the
baby. Michelle then plans to breastfeed, for the same reasons.
5) What about your baby shower?
Mark's Aunt Ellen has volunteered to do the baby shower. No ideas yet on time. We won't be
registered at a convential store though, everything we want is either organic, or enviromentaly friendly. We also won't be registering for any clothes. We have plenty of hand me downs, and stronly believe in reuse, recycle. You will be able to access our online registry from our blog at a later date.
6) What is Viacord?
It is a service that collects and freezes your baby's umbilicord blood. That blood is full of your
baby's stem cells, and might save his or her life in the future, if the unthinkable should occur
and your child develop cancer. With Michelle's family history, it wasn't even a choice for us. It
is part of our gift registry, and the most important thing anyone could buy us... piece of mind.
7) Is Michelle going to work after the baby is born?
No. Michelle will stop teaching the 1st or 2nd week of January, and then she will become a
stay at home mom. She will do some computer and calling work from home for her parent's
company, so we are fortunate to have that income opportunity.
8) How is Michelle feeling?
In true Craven form, if something is worth doing, then its worth doing perfect. Michelle is having a wonderful pregnancy. Her morning sickness passed with the first trimester. She had some food aversions, but they have passed as well. She is eating as perfectly as she can, very organic, exercising, and the lab results are coming back great.