Well, we’re all stuck at home. With our kids. For a lot of people, this might be a time to panic. But for me, a committed introvert and longtime homeschool mom, I’ve been training for this moment for years!
 
I say that I’m a longtime homeschool mom. Is six years a long time? Some days it feels like it! So, for those of you suddenly thrust, not by choice, into the world of having your kids learn at home, here are a few tips.
 
First, don’t try to recreate public school at home. It won’t work, and it’ll cause you and your child(ren) lots of headaches! I’m assuming you don’t have twenty children in your house, so don’t pretend you do. Guiding just a few students into learning is very different than a leading a classroom.
 
Second, favor routine over schedule. I’ve seen many elaborate daily schedules floating around social media right now. Some of them schedule out every hour of the day! Kids don’t need even moment filled. Now’s the time for them to explore what they’re passionate about! Give them the freedom to make some of their own choices.
 
Third, limit screen time. One of the schedules that I saw on Facebook included two hours of free TV time every evening. That can be a lot for kids! I find that when my kids are having too much screen time, they suddenly can’t entertain themselves. They’re bored all the time, and they don’t know what to do with themselves. If you find that happening to your kids, cut back on the electronics.
 
Lastly, simplify! Like I’ve already said, you’re not recreating a classroom at home. Learning doesn’t need to be complicated. It doesn’t even need to be adult led at all times. Here are some simple, yet powerful, activities that your kids can do, some with adult help, and some without:

• Read out loud to your kids. Depending on the ages of your children, it could be a picture book or a chapter book. Or both! One of our favorite evening activities, instead of a movie, is to have me read a chapter out loud from the book we’re reading together.  

• Play a game. Board games and card games can be very educational. And so much fun! Find games you can play with your kids and ones that they can play without you.

 

• Set out stuff to craft. It doesn’t have to be something fancy. I’m talking about a box of crayons and some paper! If you have more than that, like ribbons and buttons and stamps and construction paper, put out some of that, too. Let them make what they want to create. Then when the time comes, have them help tidy up the crafting supplies.

 

• Turn on a radio drama or audio book. That way you can get some work done while your kids are still being enriched. Some of our favorites are audio book classics and fairy tales, G. A. Henty radio dramas, and Adventures in Odyssey.

 

• Cook together. Did you know that you can learn math, specifically fractions, while cooking? Yes, you can! Bake a cake, make cookies, cook some soup. The possibilities are endless.

 

• Send them outside. If you have a safe area for the kids to play outside, send them out as much as possible. Kids can learn so much from being outside with unstructured free time.

 

• YouTube kids exercise videos. My kids love to do kids yoga, and stretching really helps to calm their bodies.

 
See? It doesn’t have to be hard. Don’t even try to “homeschool” for this short period. Just let your kids pursue their passions for a few weeks. Let them soar!

This last weekend I was up in Minnesota for a family Christmas celebration. Driving down the highway, I noticed the digital signs read:

Resolution:
Buckle Up
Phone Down
 
Those are simple, but important reminders for drivers, and they got me thinking about some simple, concise resolutions for a better birth. Here’s what I came up with:
 
Resolutions for a Better Birth:
Be Informed
Be Supported
 
Let’s talk about these two resolutions for a better birth and explore what they mean and how they can benefit you.
 
Be Informed
 
Information is critical for dispelling myth. Dispelling myth is central for eliminating fear. Eliminating fear is crucial for labor progress.
 
There are lots of ways to get information about birth! My favorite way, and what I recommend to all of my doula clients, is to take a Bradley Childbirth Class. This class is the best, most complete class out there. You will get A TON of information about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We are blessed to have Erin and Paul Simmer teaching Bradley Classes locally at Made to Birth.
 
Reading is another great way to learn about pregnancy and childbirth. You don’t have to log on to Amazon and buy every birth book ever published. Check out your library; they have many first-rate books. Also, I have a lending library full of books that I lone out to clients. So does Erin Simmer, so check with your doula or childbirth educator to see if they have any books to lend.
 
The internet also has a lot of excellent information about pregnancy and birth. It has a lot of junk, too! Check with your doula for recommended websites. I like VBAC Facts and Evidence Based Birth.
 
Be Supported
 
Everyone has someone in their life to support them as they learn and grow in a specific area. Athletes have coaches. Realtors have mentors. Resident doctors have overseeing doctors. College students have professors. Professors have department chairs. Support is important to achieving the goals we set for ourselves.
 
If you want to have a better birth, find someone to support you!
 
Your birth support team can include husband/partner, doula, OB or midwife, mom, sister, friend, labor nurse. The possibilities are endless!
 
You have to choose your support people with care. You want to find a health care provider who supports the goals you have for your birth. OB vs. midwife. Hospital birth vs. home birth. There are many choices to make. I’ve attended a lot of births, and I think that almost all of the providers in our area are very good. But their communication styles can be very different. The provider who I think is the best at obtaining informed consent is Bethany Gates, CPM, at Shiphrah Birth Services. She makes sure her patients know what she is doing and why, and she waits for their consent before she does it.
 
A doula is an integral part of being supported in pregnancy and birth. Birth support is our business; it’s our passion. A good doula supports her clients, no matter what they choose for their birth. At Zenith Birth Services, we don’t have an agenda. We put your choices first! We love the opportunity to work with moms and dads, to support their wishes, and to help them achieve their better birth!
 
So, if you’re pregnant in 2018, resolve to have a better birth!

October 2nd marks the start of International Babywearing Week! I'm celebrating by sharing a video about my favorite baby carrier for a newborn. My clients will often ask me what carrier I recommend for newborns. I always tell them that a ring sling is my favorite! It works great for tiny new ones, and it's versatile enough to last into toddlerhood. So without further ado, check out my ring sling tutorial below. And happy babywearing!

Zenith Birth Services is proud to announce a new addition to our doula team!
 
Andrea Lind is joining Sarah as a birth doula. Andrea has been interested in pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding for many years. From her journey as a certified nursing assistant to a stay-at-home mom, Andrea has been preparing to be a birth doula along the way. She attended over a hundred births as a scrub tech at a local hospital, and she has given birth to eight children of her own. Her own births have been everything from hospital births to home birth, cesarean to VBAC, epidural to medication-free. Having personally experienced so many different types of births has equipped her to support our clients, no matter the type of birth that they choose.
 
Andrea’s passions include educating women about their birthing options, supporting them in those choices, and helping to empower women with compassion and empathy. She loves to see women have the resources and tools to advocate for themselves and their babies. She also enjoys homeschooling her children, making music together with her family, serving at her church, and being active outdoors.
 
Andrea has been married to her husband Chris since 2005. Between her and Chris, through birth and adoption, they have 11 children, ten girls and one boy. They are expecting another daughter this coming July, so Andrea will be using her maternity leave to finish up her birth doula certification through Childbirth International.
 
We couldn’t be more excited to add this wonderful woman to our team!

2017 is upon us! I think it means I’m getting old, but 2017 sounds so futuristic.
 
I know last year I posted my New Year’s resolutions. I actually stuck to them for a while. But eventually they fell by the wayside, neglected and forgotten. So this year I’m NOT making any resolutions!
 
I’ve been working on a few things in my life, so I’m going to keep plugging along with them. Here are a few of the things I’ve been trying to improve.
 
1. I want to be kind.
 
I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but I’m not always kind, especially with my kids. I want to strive to be kind in my words and actions. I want my children to see in me a role model of kindness and self-control. I love the Bible verse Luke 6:36, “Be merciful, just as your Father (God) is merciful.” My Father has endless mercy for me, and I want that to spill over as kindness to those around me.
 
2. I want to use less technology.
 
Technology is so useful! But I find that there are days when I’m looking at a computer/iPad/phone screen more than I’m looking at the real, tangible humans in my life. I’ve been working on putting away the screen(s). I will improve!
 
3. I want to live in the moment.
 
I can get caught up with thinking and planning. Preparing for the future is definitely a good thing, but when I find that I’m living in my head more than in real life, that’s not healthy. I’m going to continue to plan appropriately and live in today at the same time!
 
How about you? Did you make resolutions? Are there things in your life that you’re already working on that you will continue to improve in the new year?

Anxiety…
 
Worry…
 
These words are all too common now days. Especially among mothers and moms-to-be.
 
And there are many things to worry about. I’m not going to list them here, since I’m sure your biggest worries are already popping into your mind.
 
So why am I talking about anxiety? I’m really not trying to get your heart thumping.
 
Pregnancy and birth have so many unknowns. Even if you’ve given birth before, there is still plenty of mystery. Hiring a doula can help to alleviate those fears. I can help you work through your fears and come to a place of peace.
 
I want to tell you that when it comes to my doula work, I don’t worry; I don’t have anxiety. I’m free to support and focus on you. I know birth and labor support. I know our local hospitals; I’ve been to them many times. I’ve worked with the hospital staff before. Sure, I don’t know exactly how your birth will go, but I know how to support you through it.
 
When you hire Zenith Birth Services, know that you can leave all of that anxiety, all of the worry, all of the fear of the unknown at the door. Let me support you so that you can labor in peace, knowing that I'm here for you, giving you anxiety-free support.

So, you’ve just had a baby. Maybe you had a natural birth in the hospital, a cesarean, or a homebirth. However you give birth, there are some things that we all can expect the first week home after giving birth.
 
Expect to...
 
…Be Tired
Being pregnant is exhausting. Giving birth is like running a marathon. Newborn babies don’t always (or ever) get their days and nights figured out right away. That first night home from the hospital can be especially challenging. With time, things will get easier, but whether it’s your first baby or your third (or more), you will be tired the first few weeks.
 
…Be Hungry
Send out your husband or a friend to get you a bunch of healthy snacks! You will be hungry. Have fruit and veggies on hand. String cheese, yogurt, and nuts are good protein sources. And dark chocolate is a must!
 
…Feel Emotional
Having a baby can be an emotional rollercoaster. Not only are you adjusting to a shifting family dynamic, but your hormones are all over the place! Having your placenta encapsulated may help with the hormones and help you cope, but this is still a time of great change. Know that you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed, scared, and unprepared. If you or your significant other have concerns that your symptoms go beyond what can be expected as normal, please contact your healthcare provider.
 
…Feel Blessed
The little baby who just joined your family takes time, energy, and work! But you can expect to feel blessed! Not only by your sweet newborn, but hopefully by your friends and family. If someone offers to help you, let them! I know when I offer to help a friend, I really mean it and would genuinely love to be put to work. So I take my friends at face value when they offer to help me. I find something useful for them to do, whether it’s helping with laundry (that’s a good possibility at my house!), organizing baby clothes, bringing a meal, or picking up a few necessities at the store. Give them something specific and practical to do for you. You will be blessed, and so will they!
 
Did you experience any (or all) of these? What else do you think women should expect their first week home with a new baby?

As I mention in my "About Sarah" page, I am a member of Fusion Birth. Fusion Birth is a collective of five birth professionals in the Cedar Valley whose mission is to connect you to evidence-based childbirth education, labor support, and other pregnancy resources.  Not all resources are created equal. We list only the ones that we or our clients have tried and that get good reviews over and over again.

Today I sat down with Fusion Birth member Erin Simmer of Made to Birth.  Erin is a childbirth educator, offering Bradley Method childbirth classes. She, along with her husband Paul, have taught Bradley classes for 9 years, and over 200 couples have come through their classes. Erin and Paul have been married for 14 years.  They have four children, three girls and a boy ranging in age from 10 to 3.  She stays at home with the littles and teaches Bradley on the side, and Paul teaches high school social studies.   Most of her days are spent running around after the littles, building forts, reading books, and legos - lots of legos.  But she also enjoys moments of quiet:  a good book, knitting, and the perfect iced coffee.

Sarah: Why did you decide to become a childbirth educator?

Erin: When we were pregnant with our first child, we had to drive to Wisconsin in order to take the Bradley classes that our midwife recommended.  We were lucky that we were able to make the drive work, since there wasn’t a closer option for us.  Our birth was amazing.  It was everything we had hoped for, and we really felt like a lot of the credit went to the education that we received from our Bradley classes.  Our instructors urged us to think about becoming certified to teach, but I completely dismissed the idea.  Around her first birthday, I had a change of heart.  I just felt really convicted, that we needed to help provide this service for our area.  We jumped in wholeheartedly and were ready to teach less than 2 months later!

Sarah: What is one of the most rewarding things about your work?

Erin: Birth stories.  It has to be the birth stories.  We invite all of our couples to come back and tell their stories.  Regardless of whether everything played out just the way they hoped, or if nothing went as planned - they are all invited to come back and share their experience.  I think this is one of the neatest parts of class.  I love to watch the journey that the couple goes through: the eager and excited woman transforms into a caring, beaming mother.  And the dads.  Love the dads.  My husband and I teach our classes together.  I think this is one of the really unique things about Bradley - this idea of the birthing process being a team effort between the mother and her coach.  A lot of the coaches come in... not overly excited.  They’re dutifully attending with their partner, but maybe not all-in like the women are.  But somewhere in the middle of the class, a lot of them really engage.  They learn how important their role is in the birth.  They become empowered when they see and know all of the different ways that they can support their partner.  And when they come back and tell their stories... and they light up, excitedly telling all of the details... It’s just so neat to watch them go from the quiet guy in the corner, to the engaged, proud daddy sharing their story.  Yep.  I love the birth stories. 

Sarah: What do you offer your clients that is unique to you?

Erin: I think that there are several things unique to our classes.  I’ve already talked about how we really try to engage the partners and empower them to step up and be a vital part of the birth process.  So I think that’s a big one.  And, of course, that I teach with my husband.  I think that his involvement in our classes really helps to draw out the guys.  He’s always adding in sports analogies, and sometimes he can just answer things better than I can, from a perspective that I just don’t know first hand.  So I really appreciate his presence in the class.  But one more thing I’ll add is that we try really hard to set families up well for this transition that they’re going to make from being a couple to being a family.  We don’t just take you through the birth, but into parenthood.  We discuss postpartum care and newborn care.  We have an entire class devoted to breastfeeding.  We bring in local experts to talk about postpartum depression and anxiety, chiropractic care for your newborn, and cover things like cloth diapers and babywearing.  Classes are 12 weeks long, and in that time we really try to capitalize on all aspects of birth and parenting a newborn, so that when the baby arrives, families have a good foundation already in place.

Sarah: Tell me about the services you provide.

Erin: Our childbirth classes are 12 weeks long, 2 hours each.  We teach women and partners about the natural processes of labor.  We want moms to listen to their bodies and partners to feel confident in supporting them.  We really strive to teach all-encompassing classes.  We don’t just want our classes to teach you how to push a baby out; we want you to feel prepared through the whole laboring process, and also into parenthood as well.  We cover many different topics from exercise and nutrition, comfort measures and coaching to postpartum care and newborn care.  And we cover breastfeeding, too.  Class sizes are kept small - no more than 8 couples - so that we can get to know you well, to help you feel comfortable asking those intimate questions you may have, and also to encourage you to get to know the others in the class.  We show lots of birth videos, have several labor rehearsals and relaxation exercises, and birth stories too! 

You can find Erin's website and contact information by following this link. Erin and Paul are such a valuable resource in the Cedar Valley and Northeast Iowa as a whole!