One of the many benefits of charting your cycles

I know it has been a long time since I have blogged. Lets just say I have been preoccupied this pregnancy . . . with things like contractions, shingles, kids with chicken pox etc. Ya, great fun!! Basically the bottom line is . . . having been pregnant 7 times in 11 yrs, and nursing non-stop for over 12 yrs (tandem non stop for over 10) . . . my body is saying . . . “hello, pay attention to ME!!!” And with all these little ones, I so forget to do that!

It’s all good though, I’m feeling much better now ;0)

Me on my EDD with baby #7 (11-12-12)

 But to the topic at hand. Today is my estimated due date! (EDD) Or wait, maybe I am 12 days post dates?  (I'll get to that later).

 I have had 2 babies come before and 4 after my EDD . . . usually within a week either way. With all but my first I charted my cycles, including taking my temp each morning, so I knew exactly when I ovulated each time (with my first I was only charting fertile fluid, so I could only make a good guess at ovulation, which I suspected to be a bit late).

Besides knowing exactly when you ovulate . . . when to "try" to get pregnant or when to "avoid" if you don't want to get pregnant . . .  there are many other benefits to charting your cycles some of which can be found HERE.

One benefit is that if you are pregnant, you will know exactly when you ovulated, and thus can base your EDD on ovulation (which can help prevent intervention or invasive procedures). When a newly pregnant woman goes in to her midwife or OB one of the first questions asked is “what was the date of your last period?”  Your estimated due date is calculated based on the fact that most women ovulate on day 14 of their cycle (your cycle beginning on the first day of your period). They use this nifty little wheel and calculate when they believe you ovulated/conceived, and when you are due, based on the first day of your last period.

But guess what . . . women are all different (wow really?)  Each cycle is different. Even a woman who normally has very regular cycles can have a funky cycle where ovulation is delayed for one reason or another. So sometimes this ‘educated guess’ on EDD can be way off.

So what is the harm in that? Baby is going to come when they are ready right? Ya, of course they will!! And if we were all laid back and just trusted babies to come when they were ready, then knowing your EDD wouldn’t even really matter period. But in our society today, there are problems that can arise if your EDD is way off.

Early in your pregnancy it can cause unnecessary ultrasound to try to date your pregnancy more accurately (especially if you are unsure of when your period was or if your cycles are especially long or irregular). Some of us like to avoid ultrasound if possible. Or if you have a routine ultrasound in early pregnancy anyway (which some do) you could be told that the baby is not growing right, or that you have a blight ovum or whatever (when in reality you are simply not as far along as previously thought).  And that has caused not only undue stress and sorrow, but even unfortunately, unnecessary D&C of a perfectly viable pregnancy.

Of course many places don’t do early ultrasound and many moms choose not to have one. So for those moms, later in pregnancy it could mean that you are exposed to unnecessary worry or intervention. If you are thought to be past your due date, you may have more monitoring or be induced for ‘post dates’, or if you have a baby born early it could be more premature than expected.

From my own personal experience, for most of my pregnancies, I ovulated between days 12-17. Considering they usually base ovulation on day 14, my due date calculated by the "pregnancy wheel" was only a few days off from my real, accurate due date. However with my 2nd pregnancy, I didn’t ovulate till day 22, which means that my real due date was a full WEEK after what would have been estimated for me. I don’t do early ultrasound, and was planning a homebirth anyway. That baby (my girl) was born at around 41 wks. Had we not had an accurate EDD, we would have thought I was a full week further along than I really was, which would have made the waiting hard for me! And were I giving birth in the hospital, it may have meant that I was induced for going too far past my EDD (it all depends on your Dr, but many don't like to see mom go more than a few days post dates before they start talking induction).

Fast forward to this pregnancy, #7. For this baby I didn’t ovulate till day 26 of my cycle!! Ya, no kidding, it was that late!! It happens and it actually isn't super uncommon. Can you imagine? So if I didn’t chart my cycles, take my temp etc. and know the exact day of conception, then instead of coming on here and writing “hey, todays my EDD” I would likely be bemoaning “woe is me, I am 12 days post dates, when is this baby going to come?”

Lets just say I am pretty happy that God designed our bodies in a way that we have these obvious clues to how things work, so that we know what is going on.  And thankfully He gave us the knowledge to figure it out and use it to our advantage!!

UPDATE - Baby #7 was born 2 days after my EDD based on ovulation.  So a full 2 weeks after the pregnancy wheel would have said was my EDD.  So, again, had I not known when I ovulated I would have thought I had a pretty small (7.2, by far my smallest baby) baby for being born 2 wks after my EDD.  For what it's worth, when my midwife friend checked her out she said that she didn't look early or late, all signs showed she was right on time . . . . EXACTLY!!! 

There is a ton of info online about charting your cycles. But for starters, check out www.tcoyf.com (the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility is an amazing resource and I recommend every woman read it . . . it is actually good for men too).

Christmas gift idea . . . wonderful children's books from Dreamland Books Inc.

Books, I LOVE books.  It is kind of weird considering I was never much of a book reader (love research reading) not to mention the fact that I so don't have time to read much at all right now.  But I do love books all the same.  And I try my hardest to avoid used book sales because I tend to buy more books than I should.  But I digress . . .

I have these 4 Children's books here from Dreamland Books Inc.  Melissa (the owner, author, and a friend of my dad) sent them to me because, well, I have quite a few kids and I am in the kid business (Kozy and all).  Of course I was THRILLED to get them . . . ya know, seeing as how I love books and all.  And after I saw and read them, I was even more thrilled because I LOVED them!!  She didn't ask me to blog about them or anything, but I wanted to because we have just enjoyed them so much over the past couple months that I wanted to share the love!!

 I don't know if y'all know but I have read my share of children's books.  I have a degree in English and have worked with children regularly since I was 12 (a kid myself).  Before having my 6 kids I was a nanny for 2 yrs, then for 5 years before that I worked at an Early Learning Center. I also taught children's church for 12 yrs.  Needless to say, I have been reading books to children for a LONG time.  I dare say I have read 100's maybe even 1000's of books (or, well, I have read books to them 1000's of times, LOL, you know kids, they often like to hear the same book over and over and over . . . . ).  Anyway, my point in all this blabbering is that despite having read so many children's books, I was really impressed by the quality and artwork of these books from Dreamland Books! 
Lets just say that unlike many books we own, these are going on the high shelf and will only be looked at or read under supervision because I don't want them to be torn by little hands that don't yet know how to be careful!  More work for me?  Yes, but that is cool as long as these books don't get torn up, because I do really like them a lot.

The first book I read was A Granny's Heart.  It is all about grannies and all the wonderful things about them!  As I was reading this book I just kept thinking . . . this is a feast for the eyes!  The artwork is so unique and the colors are subtle and beautiful.  I love how you can see texture in the background and how the words are almost a part of the artwork.  The story is precious and the kids really enjoyed talking about what similarities the grannies in the book had with their own grannies.  I think any child with a grandma would be able to relate to and enjoy this book.  I imagine it would be pretty special to their grandmas too!




Baby Animals was a favorite of my 2 yr old.  He was enthralled with it and refused to let anyone else hold it!  It is not only a counting book but teaches the months of the year as well.  My 2 yr old would find the baby animals and then my 4 yr old would count them (don't you love how they worked together on this) and I had to keep reminding the older kids that this was a book geared towards little ones, so let them do the counting, LOL!!  It is a simple book, perfect for little ones.  With beautiful artwork and all those baby animals, I can see why my 2 yr old loves it so much!






I dare say Faces may be my favorite of the bunch, though that is hard to say because I really did love them all.  I love books that get kids talking and discussing and this book definitely does! At each turn of the page we had something to talk about.  It goes through 16 different kids and talks, in very simple language, a little about each one . . . and they are all unique. Using rhyming words even my 2 yr old can understand, we learn about where these kids grow up, who they live with, how they look, their likes and dislikes etc.  Even some of their names are unique (which I can appreciate).  And then the question at the end of each page shows how, despite many differences, we may actually have something in common. They were also able to find similarities between the kids in the book and some of their friends.  A little precious and unique face innocently peeks at you on each page, and I found it a pleasure to read about each one of them!

Night may have been the favorite all around. It is a counting backwards book.  My older kids loved it!  There is something to be said for a book that can keep the attention of a 2 year old AND an 11 yr old (and all ages in-between).  There is just something magical about this book.  The artwork is very unique and my kids were drawn to it.  We loved the lone tree on each page, the giant greatly detailed moon in the corner, the subtle splashes of red amongst all the black, and of course all the stars!  It is beautiful, serene and almost quiet, like you can just hear the animals and bugs scurrying about on the pages.  The kids were fighting over who was going to do all the counting (I told the older ones they had to defer to the little kids). I think my favorite part of the book though is the very back page, where they have listed 14 quotes by famous people (Longfellow, Thoreau, Tennyson, Lincoln, Confucius etc.) as they pertain to each of the characters in the book . . . the stars, bunnies, tree, moon etc.  Beautiful!!

If you are looking for some last minute Christmas gifts check these out!!  You can find them HERE  It looks like they have a special, buy 3 get 1 free.

Lastly, here is Xian reading Animals to Thrace (2) and Dagyn (9mo)

 After a few minutes, Dagyn got a little excited and decided to tackle the book!!

(ack, don't let him rip the book!!)

 

 That is how it goes around here, well, when trying to read books with babies around LOL!!

This is how we do it - Winter Coats and Car Seat Safety

A friend of mine posted this video on facebook and it got me thinking about why I don't like winter coats and what we use for alternatives, so I thought I would share.

Now, I am not as anal about car seats as some people online are (though I actually am more than many people I know), but I figure . . . if you are going to go to the trouble, time, and expense of using car seats, then  it is pointless if you are not using them correctly!!  Education and a little bit of common sense go a long way.

As you can see in the video, those padded kids coats can cause safety issues, which is why you are supposed to take them off your child before you buckle them in their seat.  But I have never even had to think about that because I have always hated those type of coats. They are bulky (take up so much space, and I have very little extra house and car space), ugly (sorry, but they are . . . well, 'most' of them are) and often they are loud!!

So if the kids don't wear the typical bulky ugly padded coats then what do we do? 

This is how we do it.

Most of the time when we go out we are heading from the car to the  store or house etc.  so we are only out in the cold for a few minutes at the most.  We are in VA so average temps in the winter are usually around 30-40's (though we get plenty of nights down in the teens or even lower).  We live on a mountain, so we will often have weeks where the temp doesn't get above freezing up here.  If we were up in Alaska or something I may have to re-think my objection to bulky coats, LOL.  Bottom line though . . . my kids are not used to being bundled up like that so they are used to getting a bit chilly on the way to and from the car, in fact I sometimes have a hard time getting them to wear their jackets!!

Instead of wearing think padded coats we like to use layers to keep warm.  In the winter we rarely do a long sleeve shirt without a t-shirt underneath (they like the option of being able to take their long sleeve shirt off if we are someplace where they are warm).  Then, on top of the long sleeve shirt we will do a sweat shirt or hoodie or something like that.  I keep a bag of jackets in the back of the car as well, in case we get caught out and it is colder than we anticipate (or we end up outside for any extended period of time).  If we are going out and I know we will be outside where the kids will want to play, I'll either dress them in a sweater and a jacket and/or take along hats and gloves.  Even if we are going out to play in the snow, a t-shirt, with a long sleeve shirt and then a fleece hoodie etc. over that (with hat and gloves) is enough to keep them warm.  A few layers go a long way (especially paired with a hat, gloves, scarf etc.)

I also try to warm up the car before we leave the house, so that they are going from warm house to warm car (duh, I think everyone does this, LOL).  I often keep a few blankets in the car too for times when I can't warm up the car ahead of time.  It is super easy to make a warm blanket (the perfect size for covering up in the car seat) out of a double layer of flannel.  JoAnn often has flannel on sale for 50% off (and they always have coupons).  We have made several of these and they are great for the car.  Throws work well too.  So if I am unable to warm the car up before we get in, and it is extra cold, the kids can just grab a blanket to keep them warm till the heat kicks on.  And if you insist on keeping them in that bulky coat and having them take it off when they get in the car, then you can just throw that over them after they are buckled.

I wish I had a picture of all the kids in their seats on a cold day but usually, when it is cold, snapping a pic is the last thing in my mind (maybe if I had a smart phone it would be easier, but alas . . . maybe for Christmas ;0)  Here is a picture though of newborn Dagyn buckled in and ready for his first outing (before I threw the blanket over him).

Anyway, I am sure everyone has their own way of doing these things that works best for their family, but this is just how we do it ;0)

I'll have some grape juice with a splash of lead please!

It seems that as hard as you try you just can't ever get away from chemicals or impurities or even heavy metals!!

Some of you have probably read the recent reports released by The Environmental Law Foundation.  The articles have been passed all around Facebook but as usual, I am behind on blogging about it.  Apparently, the ELF tested some juices, fruits, baby food etc. and after testing some 148 products (mostly juices) they found that 85% contained LEAD!!  They contained enough lead actually, in one serving,  to warrant a warning label under the CA's Prop 65 (the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act).  And the shocker to me wasn't that it was juice in general (juice which is fairly natural with few additives) but that the ORGANIC juices had lead in them just like the regular stuff!!

For more information here is the ELF site where they have links to the products tested and which tested high for lead. 

My first thought was, oh crap!  Then I thought . . . OK, we get all freaked out over these little things, lead is naturally occurring, I'm sure it gets into things.  People get all worked up over minuscule amounts of lead or toxins when some of those things are almost unavoidable in nature.  Not to mention that government wants to over regulate us (product manufacturers) to death.  Which I found particularly ironic because here we are drinking lead with our juice, and yet the CPSIA seems more concerned that the fabric of our baby carriers may contain lead! (though thankfully they have backed off of many of their insane testing requirements)  Crazy!!  But I digress . . . 

Doesn't the FDA regulate juices (they regulate everything else) and aren't they tested for stuff like this?  Apparently they are, and the FDA's required min levels are supposedly higher than CA's Prop 65 which is .5 micrograms of lead per serving.  Of course I don't really trust the government to tell me what is safe to use or not.  I mean there is aluminum in antiperspirant (which many poeple are rubbing on their sensitive skin daily) and baking powder and cooking utensils etc.  along with a host of other 'toxic' items, and don't even get me started on the crap in vaccines that we inject into our (and our children's) bodies . . . these are apparently OK too.  I guess you just can't win no matter how you look at it (personal responsibility folks). 

Anyway, this is just my cynical side coming out here. 

But then I remembered . . . for children, any lead exposure is bad, and any lead ingestion is worse, no matter how much it is . . . it shouldn't be in there to begin with!!  And even in nature (untainted by man) we wouldn't be getting lead in our fruits and juices.  And any exposure to lead in nature under normal circumstances would be minuscule, we wouldn't be drinking it with our lunch (or shouldn't be). 

So my conclusion is that it doesn't matter what the recommended max levels are from any 'governing' body (CA prop 65, or the FDA) and how they may differ.  We, and especially our children, shouldn't be consuming lead in any amounts.  Because "No safe threshold for lead exposure has been discovered—that is, there is no known amount of lead that is too small to cause the body harm."  Wikipedia

So how would lead get into our fruits (and juices)?

Here is what I got from the FDA website, and I am sure there are other explanations as well (all man made)

Juice can become contaminated with lead if lead-contaminated produce is used to make the juice. Lead contamination of produce can occur as a result of past use of lead in agricultural settings. For example, past use of lead arsenate as a pesticide in what were apple orchards is believed to have caused persistent lead contamination of the soil causing carrots presently grown on these sites to contain elevated lead levels. Produce could also become contaminated with airborne lead if it is handled at sites where vehicles or equipment are operated that use leaded fuel, if the equipment is operated in a manner that exposes the produce to excessive emissions from the equipment.

So if lead comes from the fruit then what about fresh fruits?  If the lead is coming from the fruit then yes, fresh fruit would contain it as well.  But with fresh fruit you are getting fiber and other nutrients that actually help prevent the absorption of lead in your body.  That means that eating fresh fruit with traces of lead wouldn't impact your body in the same way as drinking juices from concentrates of the same fruits.  So basically I would say don't stop eating fruit!!

How does lead damage the body?

Children consume juice in huge amounts and they are the ones most vulnerable.  There is really no safe level of lead for kids, and it is also especially bad for pregnant women (and babies in utero too).  Lead toxicity can cause problems ranging from irritability and aggressive behavior, developmental issues, headaches, tremors, insomnia, seizures, coma and even death.  Children with lead poisoning are often diagnosed with autism.  HERE is one such story (and you can google to find more info about it).  Heavy metals in general (which include mercury and aluminum) can overcome children's bodies, especially considering they are more susceptible to them.  I know several kids personally who have tested high for heavy metals, for no apparent reason (not obvious exposure).  I have never tested my kids as I have never had a reason or felt that they exhibited symptoms that may be attributed to heavy metals in their body.  But I know that heavy metal testing testing has proven to be a life saver and eye opener for many, so it is definitely something to be considered as part of troubleshooting potential health issues.

What what do we do now?

For some of us, there is really very little to do.  Check the lists of products that tested high for lead and those that didn't, and buy accordingly while we wait for more info.  For others . . . DRINK MORE WATER!!  If you ever had an excuse to stop giving your kids juice in favor of water this is probably the best one.  I have never understood those kids walking around with sippy cups full of juice that they chug like it is going out of style.  First of all I don't get why they have to have a drink in their hands at all times (though granted, my 12mo old does nurse whenever he wants, LOL), maybe it is a security thing like some kids have with their paci?  Who knows.  But avoiding juice is good and it isn't just because of the lead issue.  Unlike fresh squeezed juice that you drink immediately, store bought juice has very little nutritional value . . . it is mostly just sugar. It has loads of calories.  It is horrible for the teeth and if kids drink too much it can even interfere with development (they are filling up on juice and not getting the other stuff they need in their diet).

Don't get me wrong, I am not all anti juice.  I'll give my kids juice occasionally, but literally, it is a special occasion thing (just like the occasional Gatorade or sprite when we are out).  I like them to be able to have fun stuff occasionally but they know as a rule, we drink water (or raw milk or kefir).  They get juice to drink maybe 1-2x a month and then I dilute it with water.  We use juice far more often to flavor our kefir (which we drink more often) but again, we use so little that they are getting only 1-2oz per cup of kefir.  I'll also let them have a few sips of juice to chase down any herbs or CLO I give them that taste icky (though most taste pretty good).

I definitely drink the most juice in the family.  Ever since having kids I have craved juice, particularly grape juice.  I think it is a nursing thing (since I am always nursing 2) and I think it is not just the liquid but the sugar that my body needs.  I love my grape juice!! But I ALWAYS mix it 50/50 with water (and lots of ice so it is really cold . . . mmmmm).  So if I chug a glass a day (usually the most I drink, many days I don't drink any) it is still only maybe 1/2 cup of juice.   Basically between me and the kids the most juice we will go through is a bottle every other week (sometimes a bottle of juice lasts us a month!!).  

Because we already consume very little juice I am not too worried, but you can bet I am going to be a bit more picky about the juice (and canned fruits) that we do buy.  The foods we put into our body are vital to our overall health, and being a responsible parent means that I will never cease to research and learn and be informed to try to make the best choices possible for my family (while still letting them have some fun . . . I did make regular old chocolate chip cookies last night . . . does it make it any better that we dipped them in raw milk?  LOL!!)

For more information check out these articles on lead in juices (along with the links included above)
NY Daily News
Inhabitots (has a list of the lead tainted products)