For the curious...I am still pregnant and yes, I have passed my due date, almost a week ago actually. Quelle horreur! At this point you may feel the need/desire to suggest ways for me to induce my labor but please don't bother; I have already tried everything (aside from Castor oil, which I will NOT try).
You might wonder when I am going to be induced then...well I don't want to be artificially induced which is just one more reason why I am birthing with a midwife practice. They will not just induce someone because they have passed their due date and they won't strip membranes either unless the cervix is favorable. Yes, I do want to have this baby, sooner rather than later, and I am hiding in my apartment to avoid having to answer these questions to every single person I see.
On a happier note, I just finished reading The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale and LOVED it! Thank you, Lindsey O. who has been supplying me with good reads during my confinement. The Goose Girl was my favorite fairy tale as a child and I think Shannon Hale did a great job turning it into a novel. I highly recommend it. I also really loved Austenland, by Hale, and I think that she is now my favorite authoress. I wonder how many more books I can get through before this baby decides to arrive? Maybe I will just have to read Pride and Prejudice again?
I also want to publicly thank the Relief Society Presidency for bringing me chocolate cake today, despite my refusal to see anyone or go anywhere. It was delicious and just what I needed to cheer me up. I am sure the baby enjoyed it as well given the gratuitous dose of heartburn I received after eating it, but that is what Tums are for and the cake was well worth it. So, hurray for cake, good novels, and thoughtful friends!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Going Organic
I have been pondering the benefits of eating organic produce. Unfortunately the premium on organic produce has kept me away for the most part, so I have been researching ways to buy organic but not break the bank. Here are my ideas:
1) Grow it yourself: If I didn't live in Wymount I would probably do this, even in containers, but silly Wymount has banned container gardens as well.
2) Farmers Markets. Pros: This is a great way to support your community as well as buy fresh and healthy produce. Plus you can talk to the farmers as well. Cons: Seasonal and you will probably still pay more for the produce than at the grocery store. To find your local farmers market: http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets
3) Community Supported Agriculture: This is one of my newest finds! Basically you buy a share of a farmers crop in the early spring and come summer you get a variety of seasonal produce weekly. This usually runs from June-October and costs between $300-500 to feed a family of four. Pros: Cheaper, SUPER fresh produce and you get to support your community. Cons: Only seasonal, although many recommend buying two shares so that you can preserve the other half for the winter. To find your local CSA farm: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml
4) Selectively buy organic: According to the Consumers Union these are the foods that contain the most pesticides and are best to buy (or grow yourself), organic. Winter Squash, Wheat, Strawberries, Green Beans, Celery, Apples, Peaches, Grapes, Spinach, Lettuce, Pears.
1) Grow it yourself: If I didn't live in Wymount I would probably do this, even in containers, but silly Wymount has banned container gardens as well.
2) Farmers Markets. Pros: This is a great way to support your community as well as buy fresh and healthy produce. Plus you can talk to the farmers as well. Cons: Seasonal and you will probably still pay more for the produce than at the grocery store. To find your local farmers market: http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets
3) Community Supported Agriculture: This is one of my newest finds! Basically you buy a share of a farmers crop in the early spring and come summer you get a variety of seasonal produce weekly. This usually runs from June-October and costs between $300-500 to feed a family of four. Pros: Cheaper, SUPER fresh produce and you get to support your community. Cons: Only seasonal, although many recommend buying two shares so that you can preserve the other half for the winter. To find your local CSA farm: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml
4) Selectively buy organic: According to the Consumers Union these are the foods that contain the most pesticides and are best to buy (or grow yourself), organic. Winter Squash, Wheat, Strawberries, Green Beans, Celery, Apples, Peaches, Grapes, Spinach, Lettuce, Pears.
5) Eat more "safe" produce: These are fruits and vegetables that if washed thoroughly have less pesticide residue than most. Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kiwi, Mango, Onion, Papaya, and Pineapple. http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Save-on-Sustainable-Gallery-44032808
Now if you are really concerned about what you eat here is a long list of foods that this company says to buy organic. http://www.deliciousorganics.com/controversies/toptobuyorg.htm Costco is also becoming a good place to find organic foods, especially fruit. If you have any other ideas not included here please post and let me know!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
"Free" gifts in the mail
I got my first box of baby formula in the mail today and couldn't help but feel a bit dirty. Don't get me wrong, I love free stuff as much as the next gal, but I cringed when I read on the box: "Strong Babies Start Here." Having attended La Leche League in addition to feeling very much that breastfeeding is best, it led me to wonder how they got off saying that strong babies start with a box of formula. It would make a lot more sense if they said, "strong babies start at the breast, but if your breasts don't work right, we are here for you" but I doubt that would go over as well.
I appreciate the wisdom of Aubrey Pratt who pointed out to me how sneaky those formula companies are by sending all those free boxes of formula right when breastfeeding is the most difficult, at the very beginning. She pointed out the great temptation of using those free samples, "just once" to ease the pain of cracked/sore nipples or just to let someone else do the feeding while you get some much needed rest. What happens next could very well lead to formula feeding almost exclusively, and so that free sample of formula becomes very un-free.
Having said all of this, my intention was not to condemn all of you very loving and wonderful mothers who happen to use formula for one reason or another, but to say shame on the formula companies for pushing their product in such a way. Shame, shame, shame.
I appreciate the wisdom of Aubrey Pratt who pointed out to me how sneaky those formula companies are by sending all those free boxes of formula right when breastfeeding is the most difficult, at the very beginning. She pointed out the great temptation of using those free samples, "just once" to ease the pain of cracked/sore nipples or just to let someone else do the feeding while you get some much needed rest. What happens next could very well lead to formula feeding almost exclusively, and so that free sample of formula becomes very un-free.
Having said all of this, my intention was not to condemn all of you very loving and wonderful mothers who happen to use formula for one reason or another, but to say shame on the formula companies for pushing their product in such a way. Shame, shame, shame.
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