Friday, April 29, 2011

Fashion Friday: PPB

I owned a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag once. I got it off ebay. It was used. It was very very used. But I really really wanted one.

After awhile of carrying around this tattered bag I tried to convince myself it wasn't that great. I tried to tell myself that I didn't like it because it had velcro on it that was too loud to open the bag during church.

But seriously... too loud for church? Louder than the screaming baby who wants the pacifier tucked neatly into a perfect little pocket inside your Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag?

Basically I had myself convinced that the PPB bags weren't that great. I donated the bag and got some other really nice but not SUPER AMAZING diaper bag and went on my way.

Then I started to read blogs and watch more moms get their PPB diaper bags. I laughed because who would want to spend all that money? Who would want a diaper bag with loud velcro??


And now I realize I was just jealous. I covet really really want a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag. Now that my baby is 2 (Happy birthday Cara Kay!) I don't want the boxy backpack, I want something a little smaller. I want the cross town clutch.
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Oh for the love of all diaper bags... for my next baby I will be getting a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag if I have to name my baby Petunia!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Thankful Thursday: Bubbles


All I can say is that I am thankful for bubbles. I am thankful when you PLAN to use bubbles to keep your kids entertained. I am NOT thankful when they find the bubbles and spill them all over the carpet.

I am thankful for bubble baths that come after the kids have played in the bubbles- because being sticky and gross is not a fun thing for moms.

Post some pictures on Facebook with your kids and their bubbles.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Wild Wednesday: Tina Fey AGAIN!?

So remember how I blogged about how Tina Fey is pregnant?
And how I love her?
And I think she is hilarious?
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Yes, she wrote a poem for her daughter. Having 2 girls of my own I look at this poem and I close my eyes really tight and plug my ears and I say , "la la la la la... this isn't happening!"
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Some day it will.




Tina Fey shares a poem for her daughter

Tina Fey's new book BossypantsCelebrity mom Tina Fey, who is pregnant with her second child, has never minced words when it comes to motherhood… And in her new book, Bossypants, she pens a hilarious poem…

SheKnows.com shared the poem called “The Mother’s Prayer for its Daughter.” Here it is below:

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered,

May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half

And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her

When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the nearby subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock N’ Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance.

Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes

And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.

Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long,

For Childhood is short — a Tiger Flower blooming

Magenta for one day —

And Adulthood is long and Dry-Humping in Cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever,

That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers

And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister,

Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends,

For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord,

That I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 a.m., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck.

“My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental note to call me. And she will forget.

But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

Moms: Does any of this strike a chord with you?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Trusting Tuesday: Birth Centers


Did you know there are other places, besides the hospital, that you can give birth?
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I am not talking about broken elevators or in Walmart or on the side of the road. While you CAN give birth in these places, I am talking about places you can give birth that you actually PLANNED to have your baby there.
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What are these places? I will outline one in this post.
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Well, most of America knows about the hospital. The labor and delivery unit/ in hopsital birth center/ birthing suites/ mother-baby unit, etc in the hospital is where the majority of women in the United States are giving birth these days.

However, you can also give birth in a freestanding BIRTH CENTER
Click the link for an example of a local Phoenix birth center.
Is there a birth center near you? Click on the other links for more examples of birth centers.

A freestanding birth center is a place designed to feel like home that is not a hospital. It almost always has a kitchen, birthing tubs, large beds where you can give birth, a beautiful yard, and often multiple rooms.
In every birth center there is emergency medical equipment. They have oxygen, some medications (though usually not pain medications!), and ways to help in emergency situations.
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With that information at hand, have you ever looked into having your baby at a birth center?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the local birth centers around America. They are there to serve women. They are what helps raise mothers and bring babies into the world safely. The women who work in these birth centers help a special population of women who won't/can't or aren't ready to have their baby at home, but who know they don't belong in the hospital.

*Birth centers are for low risk women * without major medical complications during their pregnancy.

Contact a local birth center today to learn about your options when giving birth.




Picture from Diane Bajus @ blossombirthcenter.com

Monday, April 25, 2011

Mommy Monday: Holiday Fun

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. Ours was busy and fun and exhausting.
It was also my husband and my 7th anniversary.

What sort of fun did you do this weekend?

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Special Guest Sunday: WINNER ANNOUNCED!

CONGRATS TO MANDY SIMMONS!!!


Mandy likes us on Facebook and she was the Random.org winner!!




Mandy Simmons said...

I LOVED my gown!! I will be buying my 2nd gown for my delivery in August.. :) --- Liked you on FB



We will be sending Mandy a facebook message since I don't have her email... but Mandy if you see this before we have a chance to talk to you... email us a Brittani@laborlooks.com or Ashley@laborlooks.com


We will be sending out your free $25 Babies R Us giftcard in the mail as soon as we get your address.




Congrats and thank you to everyone who participated in our first Laborlooks giveaway.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Fashion Friday: Maternity Swim Suits

The giveaway is now closed.... we will announce the winner on SUNDAY!! Thanks for participating... Good Luck!

In Phoenix we are starting to get closer and closer to swim suit season.
I fortunately haven't ever been "big" pregnant during the summer, definitely some planning on my part to avoid the 120+ degree weather when preggo.



However, as the summer draws nearer it is time for you mama's who are expecting to look into the fabulous swimsuits that are out there.



I found this cute one at OldNavy.com

Where are you looking for your summer swimsuit this year?

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Thankful Thursday: Fan Photos

******DON'T FORGET! TODAY IS YOUR LAST DAY TO ENTER OUR $25 BABIES R US GIVEAWAY***************


One of the many rewarding things about running this company is being able to see happy moms wearing our gowns. We recently sent out an email to say THANK YOU and to ask for feedback and photos ~ we had a wonderful response. Here is just a glimpse of the feedback and photos we received.

Micaela in our Devyn Rocker gown



Cara in our Cara gown



"I LOVED MY LABOR GOWN! At first when I asked to use my own gown the nurse was skeptical and said I had to use the hospital's gown but after looking at the gown and seeing it was just like the hospitals except pretty she was happy to let me put it on and loved the idea! I will be purchasing a new one when we are expecting another baby. I have recommended them to my friends who are pregnant. LOVE your product!" Krisha

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Wild Wednesday: C-section Rates

I found these Stats that were posted on the Unnecesarean.com

Quite interesting, really, to take a look at where your state falls.

I am in Arizona. I will have to say I am pretty proud that we fall at 41st place. These rates are sooo high though. Crazy that a third of women that walk into a hospital have a c-section.

I am also more impressed by Utah and New Mexico. Did you know that both of these states have Certified Nurse Midwifery education programs in their Universities?

I wonder if baby's born by nurse midwives have a lower c-section rate? hehe

(That is kind of a joke. Since Nurse Midwives don't perform c-sections, of course the baby's born by them are vaginal births. Surgeons perform C-sections. CNM's can assist in the surgery, but they aren't the surgeon who gets "credit" for the delivery. )

Percent of babies born by cesarean delivery, each state: preliminary 2009

1

Louisiana

39.6

2t

New Jersey

39.4

2t

New York

39.4

4

Florida

38.1

5

Mississippi

37.8

6

West Virginia

36.0

7

Kentucky

35.9

8

Delaware

35.7

9t

Alabama

35.6

9t

Connecticut

35.6

11t

South Carolina

35.3

11t

Texas

35.3

13t

Arkansas

34.6

13t

Oklahoma

34.6

15

Virginia

34.3

16t

Nevada

33.8

16t

Tennessee

33.8

18

Georgia

33.6

19

Maryland

33.5

20

Massachusetts

33.4

21

California

33.0

22

Rhode Island

32.8

23

Michigan

32.1

24

Pennsylvania

31.8

25t

Missouri

31.7

25t

Nebraska

31.7

27

Illinois

31.5

18

North Carolina

31.2

19

Ohio

31.1

30

New Hampshire

30.8

31

Indiana

30.5

32

Iowa

30.3

33

Kansas

30.1

34t

Maine

29.6

34t

Montana

29.6

36

Oregon

29.4

37

North Dakota

29.3

38

Washington

29.2

39

Wyoming

28.1

40

Vermont

27.9

41t

Arizona

27.4

41t

Minnesota

27.4

43

Hawaii

27.0

44

Colorado

26.4

45

South Dakota

26.3

46

Wisconsin

25.8

47

Idaho

24.5

48

Alaska

23.8

49

Utah

22.9

50

New Mexico

22.8

United States

32.9

SOURCE: National Vital Statistics System


From Births: Preliminary Data for 2009 (pdf):

The cesarean delivery rate rose to 32.9 percent in 2009, an increase of 2 percent and another record U.S. high. The percentage of births delivered by cesarean has been rising steadily for over a decade, and is up nearly 60% since 1996.

Between 2008 and 2009 cesarean delivery rates rose among women of all age groups 20 years and older, and all race and ethnicity groups. The largest increase was among non-Hispanic black women (up 3 percent); rates rose 1-2 percent among non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, AIAN and API women. In 2009, women 40 years and older were as likely to have a cesarean as a vaginal delivery, that is, ½ of all births to women in this age group were in a cesarean delivery (data not tabulated).