Huntsville Walk for Midwives

Yesterday morning more than 100 proponents of a woman's right to choose how and where she gives birth gathered at Big Spring Park for the Walk for Midwives. They raised money for the Alabama Birth Coalition, but more importantly, they were hoping to raise awareness about the importance of changing the Alabama law.

The majority of states allow women to give birth as they choose. Alabama, however, does not. In Alabama, women who would prefer to give birth in the comfort of their own home with a trained professional midwife are denied that option. There is much debate about the safety of women giving birth at home, and this isn't the forum to debate that.

However, if we had greater availability of midwives routinely offering services in Alabama hospitals and birth centers, perhaps fewer mothers would opt for home birth. Women who want to avoid interventions, who want to labor in the water and who want to give birth in non-traditional positions often feel they don't have those options with an Ob/Gyn in a traditional hospital setting. Although we do have some doctors in our area who are very open to a woman's preferences, the presence of midwives working alongside them would go a long way toward helping this group of mothers feel comfortable.

The Alabama Birth Coalition is working to change the law in Alabama. If Blue Cross Blue Shield would change the way they cover midwife deliveries in the hospital setting, that would be a terrific first step. Another important step is the legalization and regulation of Certified Professional Midwives. Many rural Alabama counties have no prenatal care or hospital at all. That's one of the primary reasons that Alabama has such a high infant mortality rate. Women in these rural counties would be well-served by the changes in legislation that the Alabama Birth Coalition is seeking.

Shop to Share

The Junior League of Huntsville is an amazing group of women who design creative ways to make money to benefit local charities. We are so excited to be a part of their upcoming promotion, Shop to Share,  which begins tomorrow!

It's simple, you purchase a Shop to Share card for $25 which entitles you 20% off at some of the areas  best local retailers from October 20 - November 3. Plan your shopping carefully, and you'll save a lot more than the $25 that the card costs!

You can buy your card at the following local businesses:

• Alabama Outdoors
• Athletic Club Alabama
• Barb's Sewing Center
• Belk
• Chickadee Designs
• Crawford Gifts
• Lawren's
• Party Works
• Personal Couture at Huntsville
• Portobello
• Red Door Interiors
• Silhouette
• Spoiled Rockin' Kidz

A Nurturing Moment is thrilled to be the only mommy-baby store to participate in this fun initiative. The proceeds will benefit a variety of projects in our community. Many of the projects supported by the Junior League help at-risk children, a goal that is near and dear to our heart.

When you use your Shop to Share card and spend $100 or more, you can choose a gift from our treasure basket!

Bullying, Self Esteem and Breastfeeding

Charla Maclin from Koko and Friends

I just received a Facebook note from a young woman who is a former student of mine. I was her tenth grade English teacher at Westminster Christian Academy. I had no idea that she had been bullied as a child. As I read it, I recognized some of the same hurt that I have seen in one of my own daughters who was deeply hurt by the cruel words of classmates even at a Christian school.

It led me to think about what we could have done to prevent the hurt my daughter experienced. We did everything we could to create a strong attachment when she was an infant. There was never a time when she didn't know how much she was loved.  She nursed well into toddlerhood. She was a delightful, obedient, amazing little girl!

But when she was eight years old, her world was turned upside down through no fault of her own. We moved from Lima, Peru, where she had grown up, back to the United States. It was a difficult, depressing time for our whole family.

When one little girl began saying cruel things to our daughter on a regular basis in third grade, we didn't understand just how deeply it affected her. Like Charla, the young woman who wrote the Facebook note, she hid her hurt well for quite a while. But it took an incredible toll on her self-esteem. I was so busy teaching and trying to hold everything together, and her daddy was just trying to heal, so we didn't have anything extra to give at that point. Her self-esteem plummeted.

So what does all this have to do with breastfeeding? Simply this - during the first years of her life we established an incredible bond. Although we have had some deeply turbulent years, she would say that the early bond we established has helped her through some of the deepest times. Extended breastfeeding is certainly NOT a cure-all for all ills or an inoculation against teen angst. But combined with love, boundaries and lots of prayer, it can certainly help lay a solid foundation.

Mystery Diapers Just Arrived!

I LOVE a good surprise! And one of our diaper companies has a great surprise planned just for you! Tomorrow night at 8:00 pm Central, you can jump on board a Twitter party #phantomdiaper! Several influential mommy bloggers including Sally from Exploits of a Military Mama, Calley from The Eco Chic and Autumn from All About Cloth Diapers will be hosting the party along with they Mystery Diaper Company!  Here's a Sneak Peak!!

We will have the mystery diapers on our shelves Thursday morning, so you can come see them for yourself! They are really adorable!!

Take Your Time and Savor Each Moment

My first baby, Sarah, with her baby, Nicholas!

In Sunday School this morning, a friend and I were chatting about how fast time flies. She has four grandchildren, and I have one. It seems like they're growing faster than we can believe!

But it didn't always seem that way. I remember being so eager for my first baby to take her first steps, to be able to put her little arms around my neck and tell me she loved me, to play games with me, to be able to interact with other children and learn to share.

 It seems like just yesterday she and her friend Amber were silly eight year olds experimenting with the ceiling fan to see what would happen if they put a sock over the light. (I called the fire department because I thought something was on fire somewhere in the house. As the firemen arrived the girls mysteriously disappeared across the street to Amber's house....)

It wasn't too long ago that she was all dressed up for prom. Then before I knew what had happened she was off to college and a life of her own.

Now she's a mother right in the middle of dealing with a teething baby. I'm sure there are days she wonders when that first tooth will finally pop through and when Nicholas will be able to put his chubby little arms around her neck and tell her he loves her!

There's no hurry, Mama! Take time to savor each precious day with your baby. Treasure that first smile, that first giggle, that first hug. Don't be in a hurry for the next milestone, Just enjoy the memories you're making today. Time may seem to drag right now, but I promise you that before long you'll look back and wonder where the time has gone and marvel at all the amazing changes in your little one.

My baby is 14. He's counting down the days until he can get his learner's permit and start driving. I can promise you I'm not in a hurry at all for that to happen! I'm taking my own advice and treasuring every day!