tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37455767424743016712012-02-13T00:18:12.147-08:00following the adventures of a mother and doula in torontokristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.comBlogger641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-74377596874857702802008-03-07T19:24:00.000-08:002008-03-07T19:32:18.532-08:00

i have definitely used up all my favours with family and friends now, while i attend births. the last 3 have all been 24 hour plus births which means that my husband or mother or sister has to take time off to watch the kids.clearly this is not an ideal situation.but i'm SO paranoid and i simply can't imagine leaving my kids with a stranger. and to complicate matters, i need to leave the kids

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-53472654254751426462008-03-06T12:19:00.000-08:002008-03-06T12:35:38.881-08:00

well it happened. i had to literally RUN out of a birth. in retrospect my mother had been sick two days earlier with a stomach bug but on the day i was called to meet my client at the hospital that was the furthest thing from my mind.my client had PROM (premature rupture of membranes) which means that her water broke before contractions started. she was admitted to hospital for a cold induction

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-29585210116593786752008-02-27T17:34:00.000-08:002008-02-28T13:54:14.041-08:00

i used diaper wipes with india. then when kalden came along my awareness about chemicals and toxins was heightened and i took a look at what i was using to clean my kids butt. needless to say, after reading this i switched to a plain old cloth with warm water. kalden's bum has never looked better. :)from http://www.answers.com/topic/baby-wipesCleansing ingredientsWater is the main ingredient and

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-50156636310267234652008-02-27T07:06:00.000-08:002008-02-27T07:21:22.377-08:00

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/health/article3466137.ece this article touches on something that i feel pretty strongly about. researchers found that most people do as well on sugar pills as they do on actual depression med's. therefore the placebo effect is largely responsible for mood improvement among anti-depressant users.it is downright frightening how many people have taken, or currently

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-15110410928686777972008-02-26T18:31:00.000-08:002008-02-26T18:48:44.885-08:00

i lost my mind.it's true.it's funny now but it wasn't funny about 3 weeks ago.several months ago kalden began to wake up at night every single hour. before that there had been stretches of a few hours, maybe but then one day it became EVERY SINGLE HOUR. and on a really bad night he woke up every 45 minutes.people didn't believe me. people told me he must be sick. people thought it was funny. (

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-44001468616583553392008-01-20T18:37:00.001-08:002008-01-20T18:37:19.989-08:00

Christopher Dewdney on the sprawl apocalypse LUCAS OLENIUK/TORONTO STAR The Vellore Woods housing development west of Hwy. 400 at Rutherford Road in Vaughan. Jan 19, 2008 04:30 AM Christopher Dewdney Trouble is, everybody wants their slice of the dream; the upscale house, the luxury car. And everything's getting bigger. Apparently hybrids were a blip.

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-26332111513910184292008-01-01T20:12:00.001-08:002008-01-01T20:12:33.386-08:00

every time a doula attends a birth, we feel privileged to have been invited into such a personal and special event in people's lives.  at a recent birth i was blessed with the honour of cutting the baby's umbilical cord and each time i remember that moment i feel a wave of emotion come over me. at the time it was sort of a blur; it had been a long labour and i think we were all a little loopy by

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-44002998132250450522007-12-30T19:58:00.001-08:002007-12-30T19:58:43.968-08:00

i suppose the good thing about kalden's sleep habits (or lack thereof) is that i will truly be able to empathize with my clients after their babies are born.  not that i couldn't before (india had her own issues as a babe) but kalden is certainly taking the cake for most difficult/bad/unpredictable/needy sleeper. since birth kalden has not been a baby that i could just put down.  not in his pack

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-90579139886674910962007-12-29T00:43:00.000-08:002007-12-28T21:57:19.659-08:00

on a local parenting forum i'm on, many of us are "lactivists".  we're the tree lovin, hippy mamas that love to boycott and get active about what we believe in. in a discussion about nestle and why we should all be boycotting them, my wise friend deb had this to say: (orange text are my edits) it isn't about being a bad mother or a good mother. It isn't that Breastfeeding is BEST.. it is

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-39721374369860348952007-12-28T06:38:00.001-08:002007-12-28T06:38:13.579-08:00

this fraudster is supposedly a parenting "expert" but with absolutely no credentials he has HORRIFYING ADVICE that i honestly consider to be abuse.  no parent should be advised to ignore their newborn babies cries. in this day and age, where "attachment parenting" and "gentle parenting" are not just the growing trend, but the evidence based approach most reasonable health professionals recommend

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-82692766257503993152007-12-27T00:00:00.000-08:002007-12-27T17:37:59.113-08:00

this article moved me in a way i can hardly describe.  the author revolutionized how i think (and talk) about breastfeeding.  it's a hard pill to swallow but the truth often is, isn't it?. Watch Your Language! By Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC (Reprinted from the Journal of Human Lactation, Vol. 12, No. 1, 1996) "The truth is, breastfeeding is nothing more than normal

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-66939037848001691922007-12-26T14:45:00.001-08:002007-12-26T14:45:39.198-08:00

i asked my mother not to use wrapping paper this year in order to be kind to the environment and although i know it was hard for my mother... she used almost 100% recycled materials and it made me so happy.  my gifts looked beautiful. i aspire to have my gifts look like this next year - i'll need to start practising soon to perfect this bow making skill! dinner this year was wonderful.  my

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-931656850150148902007-12-23T14:46:00.000-08:002007-12-23T14:54:03.231-08:00

well i was SO organized this year that i designed and printed xmas holiday cards in OCTOBER. what a smart lady i am.then we moved. then i lost the cards. then i deleted the files of the cards from my computer. then i cried.so... here is what i could salvage from my pc. i hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and next year i promise a real card!

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-63752820720149212722007-12-22T15:03:00.000-08:002007-12-23T15:12:34.792-08:00

first xmas for india... santa's cool man!second xmas... not so sure.and by the third xmas - she's NOT impressed. but kalden doesn't seem to mind.

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-8025196998043110912007-12-11T19:50:00.001-08:002007-12-11T19:50:38.749-08:00

when life gets crazy, something's gotta give.  sadly it's the blog.  the baby is teething, my stepdaughter is visiting, it's holiday season, clients are having babies.... there is no time for the finer things in life like sitting at a laptop with a glass of wine and pouring out my thoughts into a blog. i will come back.  promise!

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-26518512797674972582007-11-15T13:45:00.000-08:002007-11-15T13:49:34.653-08:00

no, not me. i don't have a 4 year old. i stopped nrursing at 18 months with india and i sometimes regret it. i think this is a beautifully written article about something that is oddly controversial for a lot of people.http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article3155364.eceWhy I still breastfeed my four-year-oldFriends may think it's freaky, says Annalisa Barbieri, but why should I stop when it's

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-73987981642847700812007-11-09T09:55:00.000-08:002007-11-09T10:08:29.140-08:00

well now it's a whole new world! kalden is finally crawling. for weeks he's been trying to get his arms and legs working together and this afternoon he suddenly got it. how exciting!

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-35883905726949567512007-11-08T12:07:00.000-08:002007-11-08T12:21:56.848-08:00

if the world were made up of 100 people...this is a book that i want to get for india. we see the animated version of treehouse occasionally and it's a really beautiful way to think about the earth. here's a grown up version:http://www.miniature-earth.com/me_english.htm

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-29939274848112571582007-11-07T05:31:00.000-08:002007-11-09T10:10:40.234-08:00

a new study proves what we already knew...Link to storyBreast feeding makes kids smarter: studyMICHAEL KAHNReutersNovember 6, 2007 at 9:06 AM ESTLONDON — A common gene can help explain why breast-fed babies tend to grow up to be more intelligent than those raised exclusively on bottled milk.Breast-fed babies who shared the genetic variant outscored bottle-fed peers in intelligence tests,

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-66509791578739435692007-11-07T05:23:00.000-08:002007-11-07T05:31:22.334-08:00

i know that i've been missing for over a month and i am SORRY! i had births, i moved to a new home, my kids have been sick and my 8 month old has gone of a sleep strike.something had to give and it ended up being the blog. but now i'm back and the good news is that i've been mentally hoarding lots of information and articles and im going to post them now!at least i have a picture of the kids to

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-28649924555249179152007-10-02T09:50:00.000-07:002007-10-03T05:40:08.730-07:00

my aunt has been mentally collecting all the funny bumper stickers she's found while living in the bay area in california. i almost fell off my chair laughing when she sent me this list.I homeschool because I've seen the village and I don't want it raising my child.What would Scooby do?Annoyed by immigrants? Tell it to the Indians.If you're not outraged, you're probably watching Fox News.Jesus,

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-38995944273667013852007-09-29T20:07:00.000-07:002007-09-29T20:18:38.447-07:00

kalden and i were on the local news this evening. how cool is that? and we not only met dr. jack newman, but he held kalden and that was part of the news coverage!

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-7734661195635392272007-09-26T07:17:00.000-07:002007-09-26T07:32:59.635-07:00

We are moving in October and our new home will be chemicalfree as much as humanly possible. I particularly like the suggestionof getting plants to clean the air... Eco-friendly cleaning products Keep your home -- and our Earth -- clean with natural solutions that are kind to the environment.By Dayna BoyerIf spring cleaning conjures images of blue toilet bowl cleaner and white surface cleaners,

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-61424002768465937652007-09-24T07:44:00.001-07:002007-09-24T07:53:42.254-07:00

i have to express my disappointment with loblaws. this weekend i saw a coupon in their flyer for FREE pc organics baby cereal and i started to tear it out. then i read the small print. "FREE with this coupon & the purchase of Similac Step 2 formula with Omega 3&6, 1020g...." and so i'm mad and annoyed and irritated. luckily so are my friends. i know a lot of people don't understand what is wrong

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-12081552515134402632007-09-22T18:07:00.001-07:002007-09-22T18:11:42.229-07:00

this is just a reminder that next saturday at the Dr. Jack Newman breastfeeding clinic, we will be holding a fundraising indoor yard sale. there will be lots of baby stuff to choose from - some great baby clothes (i should know, i donated a bunch!).Location: Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine 1255 Sheppard Ave. East (at Leslie, near the Ikea)Saturday September 29, 2007

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-42462106395173567912007-09-18T13:28:00.001-07:002007-09-18T13:28:00.102-07:00

another reason to be outraged.  not only was this woman harassed for nursing her baby while watching her kids in the pool at the scarboro YMCA, but then a COMPLETELY misinformed employee at the Ontario Human Rights Commission told her that she didn't have the right to breastfeed in public! all i can say is WTF?!?!?!  this blog is her way of documenting the story.  http://

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-83403361771205095002007-09-12T05:55:00.001-07:002007-09-12T05:55:07.788-07:00

my friends and i have all had photos deleted by facebook.  it's about time this hits the mainstream. http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/255628 JIMMY JEONG FOR THE TORONTO STAR Karen Speed, with Jezek, almost two, says Facebook closed her account when she asked why photos were deleted.More than 10,000 so-called `lactivists' have signed an online petition protesting the website's policy

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-1955287141524476792007-09-10T20:31:00.001-07:002007-09-10T20:31:07.468-07:00

thanks to a new friend who sent me some links, i've finally found a good list of all the different ways that MSG can be listed in the ingredients of our food.  take a look and see for yourself here.  in case you are wondering why MSG is bad, here's a brief description found on Channing McKinley Chiropractic's blog "It is a neurotoxin that excites brain cells and then kills them. All this so

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-86829359582417639122007-09-03T05:19:00.001-07:002007-09-03T05:22:00.703-07:00

  the u.s. department of health and human services was going to launch a provocative breastfeeding promotion campaign.  lobbyists for the formula companies had them changed... did you know some u.s. states have breastfeeding rates lower than 5%???  the formula companies have a lot invested in NOT encouraging women to breastfeed. click to see larger image...

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-8554319065438221472007-08-30T07:40:00.001-07:002007-08-30T07:42:21.487-07:00

i'll be there helping out and attending the breastfeeding challenge.  stop by and show your support! click here to download the flyer!

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-20893133624511461632007-08-25T08:50:00.001-07:002007-08-25T08:50:27.500-07:00

http://www.breastcancerfund.org/site/pp.asp?c=kwKXLdPaE&b=2483603 this is a great organization that i've just been introduced to.  their mission? "Breast Cancer Fund is the leading national organization focused on identifying the environmental causes of breast cancer and preventing the disease." earlier this year they released information about carcinogens in kids bath products and MY favorite

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-28591189739765504302007-08-24T18:54:00.001-07:002007-08-24T18:54:47.872-07:00

http://www.thestar.com/article/249565 ATLANTA – U.S. women are dying from childbirth at the highest rate in decades, new government figures show. Though the risk of death is very small, experts believe increasing maternal obesity and a jump in Caesarean sections are partly to blame. Some numbers crunchers note that a change in how such deaths are reported also may be a factor. "Those of us who

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-47559164938308980242007-08-12T15:36:00.001-07:002007-08-12T15:37:28.759-07:00

i'm literally shaking with anger right now after reading this article originally printed in the new yorker. i don't know what is wrong with atul gowande but he seems intent on terrifying women readers everywhere by creating the illusion that childbirth is a death defying feat requiring all of medicine's interventions to "correct" it. wait - scratch that - gowande is a SURGEON. so it makes sense

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-53435829925102354012007-08-10T04:44:00.001-07:002007-08-12T15:43:26.147-07:00

okay this isn't really about ani difranco but it's a cool story.  i got a message today on my mspace page (which i never log into) and i actually laughed out loud when i read the note. it was from a very cool group called African Birth Collective who were inviting me to to apply to go on a trip to Senegal to help improve outcomes in a country with the highest infant mortality rate in the world.

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-28459437863780380632007-08-05T19:51:00.001-07:002007-08-05T19:53:24.727-07:00

did you know that the la leche league does not recommend feeding your baby rice cereal as their first food? "Commercial, iron-fortified cereals are often the first foods served to babies who are not breastfeeding because they need the extra iron, but breastfed babies are rarely anemic as the iron in human milk is well-utilized. If there is concern about the baby's iron levels, a simple test  can

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-66826836266725191962007-07-30T19:48:00.001-07:002007-07-30T19:48:28.898-07:00

from CNN's health reporter.  i don't usually trust CNN to give me the "full picture" when it comes to the world around me but it appears they got this one right.  i am impressed that they had the guts to (accurately) classify an episiotomy as an operation.  if you're having a baby in a hospital, before you sign ANY paperwork, read it closely to ensure that you're not consenting to an episiotomy

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-80016249671591701362007-07-27T20:24:00.001-07:002007-07-28T08:34:36.677-07:00

today i heard a heartbreaking story about a pregnant woman who was a few days overdue and was induced yesterday.  during childbirth she suffered an AFE (amniotic fluid embolism) and died.  her baby survived although she didn't live long enough to meet her.  she was 24 years old and leave behind a newborn and a 14 month old baby.  my heart breaks over this because inductions for 4 or 5 days

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-27681897019414612552007-07-23T13:51:00.001-07:002007-07-27T20:26:54.885-07:00

i openly admit that i cringe at the idea of playdates.  so often it seems that a playdate becomes a platform for competition and judging other mothers and their parenting skills.  for over 2.5 years i have avoided most playdate opportunities like the plague because of this bizarre behaviour. today, thanks to a wonderful lady named Dani, over at www.mom2mom.ca/toronto india, kalden and i went to

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-22229256441100550492007-07-20T13:57:00.001-07:002007-07-20T13:57:34.456-07:00

my brother in law is my hero.  he's so funny and never ceases to amaze me with the funny things he does. i should preface this by saying that we come from a very anti-smoking family.  we also have been taught since birth not to litter. so today my brother in law was stuck in traffic and the guy in front of him threw a cigarette butt out his window.  my brother got our of his car, picked up the

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-61078471688278112702007-07-17T21:18:00.001-07:002007-07-27T20:27:08.020-07:00

that's all this post is about.  perfect guacamole.  it's easy.  there is no need to try and make this complicated and there's certainly no need to add things like oil, sour cream or garlic.  it's a simple recipe that takes all of 5 minutes to make.  fresh and ripe avocados mashed roughly green onions (finely chopped) FRESH lime juice (usually 1 juicy lime for every 2 small avos) salt optional

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-38022125096827224492007-07-17T11:04:00.001-07:002007-07-17T20:19:51.736-07:00

i try to buy organic whenever possible but i live in north york where shopping is done at loblaw's not farmer's markets. so organic doesn't mean local and it's still mass produced. and of course, my choices are limited by what's on offer and by what's in my wallet.well here's a helpful guide that a fellow doula shared on a discussion board recently. i was horrified to discover that my

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-35808537206984545672007-07-16T07:59:00.001-07:002007-07-16T08:01:54.754-07:00

when i had my daughter 2.5 years ago, i knew that i was going to breastfeed her.  there was no alternative in my mind and i never for one second considered that it might not work out.  i was lucky.  india latched on like a professional within minutes and was breastfed until she was 18 months old.  i didnt really realize at the time that i was being political in any way; i was just feeding my

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-2002526731267703032007-07-11T09:17:00.000-07:002007-07-12T14:57:27.991-07:00

as a doula, i need to stay on top of current research, trends and practises but i also need to understand the history of childbirth around the world. these books are familiar to most birth professionals and they are wonderful resources for any woman.if anyone who loves me is reading this, please feel free to buy me any of these books! (used is just fine by the way! )Born in the USA: How a Broken

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-74470735953557942162007-07-11T08:08:00.000-07:002007-07-11T08:29:25.183-07:00

after my son was born, i was sitting in bed staring at him and i realized that as my last child, i was no longer going to be a part of the birthing community. soon he wouldn't even be a baby! i felt a deep sadness and the thought of saying goodbye forever to my midwives at Kalden's 6 week appointment illuminated all that i was going to lose.i LIKE pregnancy and childbirth. i like it so much that

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-3927457310879650962007-07-09T07:24:00.000-07:002007-07-11T08:23:35.873-07:00

well contrary to everything i believe about cooking healthy food with processed ingredients - this recipe is too delicious to pass up. as shared on a parenting board - www.mom2mom.ca/toronto this recipe is simple, quick and beyond heavenly.1 box of Ritz crackers1 package of Skor Bits1 can Condensed Milkhandful of chocolate chipsCrush Ritz crackers in a large bowl. add all other ingredients and

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-31833996666160967062007-07-06T12:00:00.001-07:002007-07-08T21:09:56.020-07:00

i'm sure that there was a time when being a doula meant having a pen and paper to write down your clients info, and having a phone at home so that your client could call you when she went into labour.that CERTAINLY isn't how things are now. especially not for doulas in the greater toronto area or in any booming metropolis these days. being a doula is a business now like anything else. you need

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-30194423676652704102007-07-05T07:22:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.907-07:00

everywhere i go online i see postings or articles about "mommy guilt" and why we shouldn't feel guilty about the choices we make for our kids.it's all nice and sweet and leans towards patting everyone on their back about what a great mommy they are. well i'd like to challenge this whole notion of "mommy guilt".if your kid is watching 4 hours of tv a day - then you SHOULD feel guilty. it doesn't

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-87266590835750603972007-07-01T17:05:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.908-07:00

that's where my daughter says that my aunts have moved."caleeeefornya". she kept asking me for lisa and cindy this morning while we were getting ready for our weekly breakfast at my grandparents. i kept telling india that they are in california but she didn't get it. then i explained that california is far away and that we have to get there by plane. so of course a plane flew by us and india

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-66277300577455141782007-06-29T19:07:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.908-07:00

so my favorite aunts are leaving for a year. they are moving to california for work. i'm happy for them because it's a great adventure and they'll have a wonderful time BUT i'm going to miss them. and i'm sad because my daughter LOVES her aunties so so so much. and my son is only 4 months old. he'll be nearly 18 months when they get back and that is breaking my heart.so i'm feeling down

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-16018032527345813792007-06-27T05:42:00.001-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.908-07:00

i'm actually having heart palpitations as i go through my cupboard and find that most of my daughter's cups are #7. NOT SAFE FOR CHILDREN.this is going to be one more expense that makes my husband crazy. i can just see his eyes rolling now.here's a link to someone who tested non plastic cups.http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/05/sippy-cup-showdown-safer-bpa-free-sippy.htmland here's a mainstream news

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-44240087405138469712007-06-26T20:57:00.001-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.909-07:00

my sister was kind enough to forward me this information about the plastic used in baby bottles and sippy cups.  luckily for me, my kids never had bottles and their sippy cups seem to be okay (sort of). anyways, i thought i would share this tidbit with you so everyone can become as paranoid as i am.  Dr. Fred vom Saal has been researching BPA for decades. He is a Professor of Biological

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-16976712772547497802007-06-26T12:58:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.909-07:00

i know the temptation to give your 4 month old some rice cereal or pureed carrots. believe me, i understand how cute it is and how much fun it is to see witness their first attempts at eating "food". but please stop yourself! hold on... a baby doesn't NEED solids and actually is BETTER OFF without them for the first 6 months of life. the benefits of delaying solids until 6 months far outweigh the

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-5066725955769547462007-06-24T19:44:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.910-07:00

today was the annual gay pride parade in toronto. i love celebrating pride and i love it more that i can celebrate it with my kids. it's not the easiest task to get a 3 month old and a 2.5 year old ready for a day with 30 degree heat and 1 million spectators. usually there is a large group of us going down together but this year it was just me and my sister. so we braved it alone. funny enough,

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-47924666503693036482007-06-21T18:42:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.911-07:00

i had unmedicated births with both my kids. in fact i insisted on homebirths to lessen the chances of any medical interventions. i can't take all the credit for the decision. my mother gave birth to her kids (me and my sister) without medications so i always assumed that that was how it was done. it never really occured to me to do it any other way.another factor was my husband. being from south

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-17845819233947042762007-06-20T12:48:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.911-07:00

it's happened. both kids are asleep. the panic sets in. where do i start? how much can i get done? my hair needs washing but that's not as important as cleaning out the smelly food in the fridge. but the fish tank has some algae issues. wait i need to send some emails for my dad. crap i think a baby has woken up.... all i got done was posting this blog.

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-61140509267271334752007-06-19T06:25:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.911-07:00

a pregnant friend of mine just told me that she is lucky enough to have a doctor that will give her an ultrasound at every appointment. i didn't tell her that i didn't think that made her "lucky".perhaps i should have expressed my concerns...all too often, i hear about women whose experience of pregnancy was one of a medicalized condition rather than a life journey. when a woman finds out that

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-48602169770869494002007-06-19T05:55:00.000-07:002007-07-16T08:01:54.754-07:00

this is an old post from a blog i wrote for a while in 2005... i ended up breastfeeding my daughter until she was 18 months and she self weaned. i hope to make it to 2 with my son.on the eve of some good friends having a beautiful baby boy, i was thinking about the term "extended breastfeeding" and how innacurate the term actually is. extended breastfeeding, in north american terms, mean

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-7671441787094868172007-06-18T05:15:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.912-07:00

the midwives said i was due on march 3rd while i insisted my due date was the 1st. i guess they won this one. ;)on the 2nd, i woke and and went to my parents house not realizing that my water had broken and was slowly leaking. by around 11am i figured out what was going on and so i called the midwives. they were at the hospital so they told me to come in and get checked. this was my first visit

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-67555382979232967122007-06-18T05:02:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.913-07:00

InFact Canada released this response to the Ontario Coroner's report which slammed co-sleeping as dangerous.Thanks to Dani at mom2mom for sharing this.. Last week, Ontario’s deputy chief coroner James Cairns released a widely-publicized report which strongly recommended that parents not sleep in the same bed with their infant children. “We are opposed to co-sleeping, period,” said Cairns."The

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-28264708695515148992007-06-10T18:07:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.913-07:00

all week, thanks to Ontario's coroner's report, we've been bombarded with headlines like this:Does co-sleeping kill?Dangers of 'co-sleepingEvery parent should know: Co-sleeping killsCoroner Warns Parents: Don't Take Baby To Bedfirst my mother mentioned it - then my husband came home asking me if this stuff is true. i'm at the point where i want to scream! let's examine this a bit closer; the

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-20900687259184150072007-06-06T18:12:00.001-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.914-07:00

this baby is too cute!

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-30605103942464901452007-06-05T13:31:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.914-07:00

i was 27 when i was pregnant with my first child. an amazing transformation took place in those months; i suddenly became acutely aware of my surroundings, of what i was putting in my body, of what i was watching on tv and of where our precious planet was headed.suddenly i could not read enough. i literally devoured every website i could find, every book i could check out of the library and soon

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-30691234533255971872007-06-05T06:57:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.915-07:00

i had midwives present at my homebirths and i wouldn't have had it any other way but every woman should decide what's right for them. i can't believe that doctor believes that giving birth "is the most dangerous thing" most women will do in their lives. where do doctors learn to be so fearful of childbirth??http://edition.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/05/23/freebirthing.reut/Freebirthers dismiss fear

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3745576742474301671.post-66454197008111686412007-06-04T19:41:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:11:40.915-07:00

i can't even fathom what my children's births would have been like if ihadn't had my midwives. they are truly PRICELESS. From The Toronto StarThe hands in demand Midwives are wanted more than ever as OB doctors retire, writes Andrea GordonMay 25, 2007 Andrea Gordon Dori Skye Engel has a tiny foot wedged high beneath her ribcage. It's been a long time since she could see her own neatly polished

kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14050916344094533720noreply@blogger.com0