bookstores

[meganursula]

Now that i'm mostly taking the bus, i read a lot. Its amazing how quickly i can get through books with a couple of bus rides a day. I remember this from Operation Overlord - that sudden rush of really being able to enjoy and get through my reading material. It is, i think, really the only benefit to riding the bus more often than my bike.

At any rate, i stopped at the bookstore on the way in, to pick up the next book in the series that i'm reading. I also picked up a book on gender differences - Pink Brain, Blue Brain. I'd actually gone into that area to pick up a new book from an author i'd read before (Alison Gopnik) called The Philosophical Baby, but they didn't have that one. Then i realize that this one (a review of which i'd read the other day), was written by Lise Eliot, who wrote my favorite so far development book What's going on in there?, so i picked it up. We'll see. I probably should have gotten a book about eating habits, or perhaps just relied on that other book i have at home for growth birth - 5 years, but, this seems more intriguing to me.

Digression, i guess. I'm in the middle of re-reading my pregnancy and labor text, in lieu of taking a review class. I'm hoping it will help me feel more confident about the upcoming event, which is basically the service the class provided last time around. I'd feel a bit better if i could start feeling more Zen about this pregnancy, but i don't feel like i'm quite in the zone yet. Anyone want to recommend books or exercises to prepare for a peaceful birth?

Maybe i should read a book about Zen, as i use that term all the time, and i'm not sure i'm ever using it quite right, not really being a Buddhist. I just don't have a better term for the place that i try to reach that i describe as Zen.

Anyway, i started out the post to describe how helpless i am in bookstores. I walked in for one pocketbook paperback, and walked out with one paperback, one hardback, and two kids books. Thats right - the child development books are right next to the kids books, so i also picked up a new number pop-up book and an alphabet puzzle book for Madeleine. Because i'm a tool, and hopeless about book stores. And hopelessly excited that Madeleine is starting to learn to count and recognize letters.

(Any good ideas about children's music, btw? I think the girls need more music in their lives.)

I think, in January, we are going to have to start a regular library run.

I also got breakfast, having run too late to eat at home this morning. And a Mocha. I think i should cut back on the caffeine, too, but, hey, delicious. All before i even got to work.

Comments

[katybeth]

(Any good ideas about children's music, btw? I think the girls need more music in their lives.)

Damn. I was going to recommend All For Kids Books and Music, in U Village, but it looks like it closed last year.

[mh75.livejournal.com]

There is a kids bookstore near Greenlake though, which i haven't been to yet, 'cause i suck.

This fall M is taking swimming lessons. I'm considering trying to find music lessons for her to take during the winter or spring, though. I know they offer them at Greenlake CC (which is where the swimming is, too).

But, i think it would be good to have some (more) kids sing-a-long at home, too. But, its a random question.

[zagthaar.livejournal.com]

re: Zen -- I'd recommend "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Suzuki.

re: children's music -- given that Marcus loves dancing to bluegrass and Billy Hailey & the Comets, and that I routinely have lulled him to sleep with a wide assortment of show tunes, you'll probably want to take my advice with a whole lotta salt ... For what it's worth, though, we love Rockabye music -- it's Led Zepplin and U2 and Metallica (and others), but played on marimba and xylophone and other lullabye-type instruments. And if you're looking for sing-along, you can't beat Raffi :)

[mh75.livejournal.com]

oh, thanks.

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Is there anything you're particularly interested in trying to change or aim for in this labor compared to your first one? (I ask because the answer will tell me which book(s) to recommend)...

[mh75.livejournal.com]

I thought my last labor and delivery went quite well. Obviously there were some interventions that i would prefer to avoid this time around, but i have no regrets about our decision to have them last time because i believe they were the best decisions we could make for that labor. (Hopefully i won't go pre-eclamptic this time, so i won't be faced with those decisions in the first place.)

In some sense, though, being induced did make the labor very controllable. So, i'm a bit nervous about not being able to handle things as well if they are more natural and less under our control.

What i really thought was good about the last experience is that we were really present for the entire process. We were able to live in the moment and appreciate each moment for whatever difficulty or joy it brought. Generally, i was in my 'life is throwing things at me, and my job is to deal with them as well as i can' mode, and that is a good place to be. If i can be in that mode again, i think things will be fine.

But i worry that i'll get panicky and not be able to maintain that mood. Since i'm so restless in general right now, i'm feeling like i'm pretty far from that mood.

I'm not sure what sort of book i'm looking for. I'm trying to focus on the physical training so my body can cope with the labor well, which i think will help. (And gives me something concrete i can do now.) But there is only so much of that i can do. Maybe i should just do some meditation and calm my nerves down in general?

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

I've seen physician-ordered restriction of salt after a mom's BP started rising result in a pretty quick onset of pre-eclampsia... it used to be the standard treatment, (http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=info:iyQyn_fxnUgJ:scholar.google.com/&output=viewport&pg=1&hl=en) but apparently some docs haven't gotten the memo that salt restriction is no longer the way to approach this thing. (http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/abstract.do?topicKey=~cc6WK257PdtU21&refNum=12) One way to avoid the situation is to follow what is known as the Brewer Diet (the main web site seems to be b0rked, but there's a little more information on it here (http://community.midwiferytoday.com/forums/t/737.aspx) and here (http://home.mindspring.com/~djsnjones/index.html)).

In my experience, natural-onset labors are MUCH easier for the mom to handle comfort- and pain-wise than even minimally augmented inductions. I'm not just blowing sunshine here... I've done several repeat doula jobs for women who have been induced and then had natural childbirth, even with significantly larger babies the second time, and they ALL raved at how much easier it was the second time. This is also the conventional wisdom among other doulas and midwives that I know, so my small sample set isn't necessarily a fluke... the odds are with you having an easier time.

Meditation and calming your nerves would be an awesome way to approach your labor prep. You obviously have a great intuition about yourself and your body! Have you tried yoga? Sitting in squats all through your pregnancy is a good way to prep your pelvis for labor... the American tendency towards leaning back in recliners and rockers leads to some pretty hard labors, with a closed or tipped pelvis and fetal malpresentation (like posterior or "sunny-side up" babies).

It sounds like you're really on top of things. Is J on the same page about not doing a class? Some places offer a shorter refresher course for repeats... a little one-day reminder that sometimes is a good way to get back up to speed with the whole process.

Oh, wait. You were asking about book recommendations, not for me to actually write you a book. Sorry...

Probably the best recommendation I could make would be Birthing from Within, (http://www.amazon.com/Birthing-Within-Extra-Ordinary-Childbirth-Preparation/dp/0965987302) by Pam England. It's got kind of the hippy-dippy vibe, but it's supported by her decades of experience and real-life practice. Some of the ideas are just plain fun (you could do a lot of the art-related things with M), and others are deeper and more serious. It feels like it's mostly aimed at moms who are trying to improve on their first birth experience (well, it felt like that to me, anyway, but certainly a first-time mom would get a lot out of it too).

I wish I lived closer so I could come spoil you a little bit! I really miss my doula work... now that Linc's getting a bit older and (fingers crossed) we'll be a bit more stable in our housing situation for a bit, maybe I could start dipping my toes in again.

Keep us posted! I'm loving hearing about your mama adventures and perspectives!

kid's music?

[costanzoj.livejournal.com]

Well, we like They Might Be Giants kid's albums - "here come the ABCs", "No!", "here come the 123s", and the new one "here comes Science".

We also have all the Captain Bogg and Salty music. Portland band, plays sea shanties and pirate music adn rock and roll. the boys have see them play at least 3 times (once at the Portland Pirate Festival, once at the local library, and I think one other time). they play live wearing pirate costumes.

both boys went to sleep every night (for years) to Mozart. Alex also likes a CD of irish folk music.

Joe

Re: kid's music?

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

We just got "Here Comes Science" and it's AWESOME!

[via-lens.livejournal.com]

L loves TMBG, of course, and not just their kid CDs. He also likes the Housemartins, and Coldplay, and the Cranberries, and 10,000 Maniacs. I think he likes these bands because they have strong melodies and the beats are creative, but not overbearing. None of them are specifically kids' music.

When I was in Santa Cruz I took him to a moms and babies singalong group weekly. You might actually check at community centers and churches in your area for something like this (non-religious, of course, some of them are just fun campfire-style songs). This really got him engaged in moving to music, hearing the beat, and singing along at an early age and it has stuck with him.

[jgs.livejournal.com]

Check out Candy Band - self-described as punk rock children's music. We saw them at Lollapalooza, and they were just awesome.

Here's their myspace page and blog:
http://www.myspace.com/candyband
http://thecandyband.blogspot.com/

Snacktime by Barenaked Ladies is also excellent. It's a big hit with our 2.5 year old friend. :)