Mother's Milk

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My mother-in-law forwarded this along to me a few weeks back.  It gave me a good chuckle and I thought perhaps some fellow moms may get a good laugh as well.  Enjoy!



Studentsin an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last questionwas, 'Name seven advantages of Mother's Milk.’ The question was worth 70 pointsor none at all.

One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages. However, he wrote:

1) It is perfect formula for the child.
2) It provides immunity against several diseases.
3) It is always the right temperature.
4) It is inexpensive.
5) It bonds the child to mother, and vice versa.
6) It is always available as needed.

And then the student was stuck. Finally, in desperation, just before the bellrang indicating the end of the test, he wrote:

7) It comes in two attractive containers and it's high enough off the groundwhere the cat can't get it.

He got an A.
 

Coffee and Pregnancy - Check Out the Health Facts

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Some Important Points Regarding Coffee and Pregnancy

There are some important things that need to be taken into consideration when a woman is pregnant and this extends to a simple thing like drinking coffee as well. Coffee and in particular, decaf coffee is always very stimulating and tempting to everybody, mainly because of the associated health benefits. What we need to remember is that anything in excess will always carry some negative results and hence for pregnant women, this topic becomes a very important one as most doctors are of the opinion that coffee and pregnancy do not go hand in hand.

Care to be taken during early pregnancy

Once pregnancy has been detected, care has to be taken to reduce coffee intake or it may lead to certain side effects. The first step in this regard is to check with your gynaecologist or some health specialist regarding the ideal amount of coffee and caffeine intake. Alternatively, there are online forums dedicated to early pregnancy and they may give you some more information with regards to the right food and coffee intake.

What about pregnant women?

Pregnant women who are used to drinking a lot of coffee would have to bear in mind that they would need to cut down on their intake. Even if it is decaf coffee, they would have to control the intake as it is not good for the newborn. Similarly those women suffering from high blood pressure should also restrict their intake of coffee as it leads to a spurt in blood pressure soon after it is drunk and this may again affect the baby.

Please bear in mind that pregnant ladies who are used to a lot of coffee will face withdrawal symptoms when they stop drinking it. That is natural as caffeine is like a drug and when you are used to a specific quantity, your body will demand that quantity on a daily basis. But they should not give in to the temptation and restrict their drinking to one or two cups a day.

Some of the Negative effects of coffee on pregnant women

Recent studies have shown that excessive coffee intake can have a detrimental impact on the fallopian tubes of pregnant women. Coffee in excess has been found to be the reason why the carriage of the ovarian eggs often does not reach the uterus as they should due to the cilia or hair like projections on the fallopian tubes getting affected by this chemical and affecting their capability to transport the eggs.

Many cases of infertility in women are thought to be caused due to high coffee consumption and in this regard, women need to take care about the type and amount of coffee that they are consuming on a daily basis

Mother's Milk

To contact us Click HERE
My mother-in-law forwarded this along to me a few weeks back.  It gave me a good chuckle and I thought perhaps some fellow moms may get a good laugh as well.  Enjoy!



Studentsin an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last questionwas, 'Name seven advantages of Mother's Milk.’ The question was worth 70 pointsor none at all.

One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages. However, he wrote:

1) It is perfect formula for the child.
2) It provides immunity against several diseases.
3) It is always the right temperature.
4) It is inexpensive.
5) It bonds the child to mother, and vice versa.
6) It is always available as needed.

And then the student was stuck. Finally, in desperation, just before the bellrang indicating the end of the test, he wrote:

7) It comes in two attractive containers and it's high enough off the groundwhere the cat can't get it.

He got an A.
 

7 (or 8 or 9) Quick Takes - Thrush

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I am a breast feeding advocate. I believe all moms should try their best to nurse their babies. I have become a bit arrogant and smug about the superiority of breast milk.  I have patted myself on the back for nursing all 7 of my babies and never once having to crack open a can of formula.  Then, God decided to teach me a lesson in humility.  It's called thrush.

The past 2 months, I have been having difficulty nursing Peter. Through an ear infection and teething, he was less than cooperative about nursing and completely emptying each breast at feedings.  I had a plugged duct and worked that out with heat compress, massage and pumping.  No big deal, I've done this before.  I was on the lookout for mastitis. The discomfort continued.  My nipple burned and hurt most of the time.  Then there was the shooting pain through my breast that would take my breath away. I consider myself to be fairly tough with a high pain tolerance.  I don't whine (excessively anyhow!) and pretty much roll with the punches of motherhood.  But this was too much for me to handle on my own.  I consulted friends, the internet, lactation nurses, and eventually my ObGyn for the diagnosis of thrush.

Here are the 8 things I've tried to remedy thrush and what I think of each.

(1) Heat CompressThis does absolutely nothing for me.  But I continue to do it, because at least I feel like I'm trying to do something to make the situation better.

(2) IbuprofenThis has had zero effect on my pain level.  I will, however, take a mega dose to try and get some sleep at night.

(3) Grapefruit Seed ExtractBasically, this is a natural antibiotic. Perhaps I didn't stick this out long enough, but it didn't do anything for me either.  But, it is natural and has very minimal side effects.

(4) Consultation with Lactation NurseThis was perhaps the most helpful.  She knew what I was talking about and could describe my symptoms for me.  How does that saying go, "Misery loves company."  It was nice to know that other moms had went through this and made it through alright.

(5) Breast exam and ultrasoundMy ObGyn didn't like the way that my breast tissue felt upon exam and wanted to rule out any type of abscess.  It was comforting to know that all the breast tissue is normal, although I don't know if this was necessary.

(6) DiflucanMy ObGyn started me on a 10 day course of Diflucan.  I am only on day 2.  I am hopeful this will take care of the yeast problem so that I can make it through a day without wincing in pain and grabbing my breast...it just isn't socially acceptable, you know!

(7) Gentian VioletWe called all over town to find this stuff.  We're heading out of town on Sunday and I didn't have time to order it and have it delivered to the house.  Finally, we found a WalMart that had it in stock about 40 minutes away.  My lovely husband (man, I love that guy!) hopped in the car and picked it up for me.  The purpose of this is to kill any yeast that is on my breast.  Also, when Peter nurses it gets in his mouth to kill any yeast that might be hiding out in his mouth. It is a purple die.  I have purple nipples and a baby with a purple mouth.  I don't care.  I just want to feel better.

(8) Probiotics/Yogurt/Reduce Sugar in DietI think it is hard to measure this one.  The idea here is to get the good bacteria growing and reduce intake of anything that the yeast can eat/grow in (sugar).  I'm taking a probiotic and eating at least one yogurt a day. 

(9) Frequent NursingEven the thought of nursing makes me wince.  However, I have been advised to continue nursing at the same level or even more frequently.  The most difficult thing is to appear relaxed during nursing so that Peter will relax and nurse comfortably.

I understand now that sometimes breastfeeding can be so painful and difficult that moms just don't/can't/won't do it.  I have the perspective of 12 years and 7 babies to know that I'll get through this, but a new mom wouldn't have that. Now, through the grace of God, I have the humility to understand that I'm not in this mothering thing alone.  I have spent a number of sleepless nights asking God for the ability to suffer well and offering it up for those on my prayer list.  Most importantly, I get it.  Just because something works for me doesn't mean that it works or is best for everyone else.

I am still a breast feeding advocate.  I still think all moms should try their best to nurse their babies.  But, I understand that it just doesn't work for everyone...and it's not up to me to judge that.

Take a peek at other Quick Takes here.

God Bless!

Heather :-)

Wisconsin Dells - Winter 2013

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We spent last week in Wisconsin Dells at the Wilderness Resort. Grandma Pam joined us for the week. We also met two other families there and had an absolute blast!  Here are a few photos of our week.

Grandma snapped a photo of us all ready to hit the Wild Water Dome!

Peter and Haley chillin' in the baby pool.

Joseph really enjoys being the "caller" for Bingo night!

One of the groups marking their cards and waiting to call out - BINGO!

The indoor ropes course was a new addition this year.  The children really enjoyed this...Grandma even had to try it out!

There are two indoor mini-golf courses.

Joseph's favorite location...the arcade!

Haley and Madeline dancin', dancin', dancin'!

Once we got back home, the children didn't want Grandma to leave!

This was our third visit to the Wilderness Resort and we're already looking forward to our vacation next winter.  Because everything is attached through indoor walkways, it doesn't matter how cold it is outside which makes it a perfect January vacation destination.  We arrived on Sunday afternoon and departed on Friday morning and avoided any major crowds.  The downside of off-season vacationing, however, is that the resort is not running at 100% capacity.  Our favorite water park was closed all week, but there was still plenty to keep us occupied.

Today we hit the books and tried to get back into our routine.  It's always hard to come back to reality, but we had a decent day and got most of our work completed.

Do you have any winter get-aways planned?  I'd love to hear about them!

God Bless!

Heather :-)

The Cracked Pot

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An elderlyChinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which shecarried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and alwaysdelivered a full portion of water. At the end ofthe long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only halffull.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only oneand a half pots of water. Of course, theperfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserablethat it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.

 
"I am ashamed ofmyself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way backto your house."

The old womansmiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, butnot on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about yourflaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day whilewe walk back, you water them. For two years Ihave been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without youbeing just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."
Each of us has our ownunique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our livestogether so very interesting and rewarding.

You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good inthem.

SO, to all of my crackedpot bloggy-friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side ofthe path!  And say a prayer for all of your "Cracked Pot" friends - we need each other's encouragement and companionship to make it through the ups and downs of mommy-hood!
God Bless!
Heather :-)

Sue's memorial. The future of the store.

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Sue's memorial service was Friday. There were sure a lot of people there: her cousins from out-of-state, plus people from the college, the bookstore, and her church.

When there was a time to share I spoke about how Sue had pushed me out of my comfort zone. Many of you may not know that it was Sue who got me to blog. She wanted us all to blog, but I was new to computers, and wanted no part of this blogging stuff. I stormed in the next day announcing to all that if I was forced to write a single blog I would no longer work at the store. Somehow, though, by the end of the day I had written two blogs, and the rest, as they say, is history.

You will have noticed that lately we have rarely blogged. Partly, it is because of Sue's death, and partly because the future of the store is uncertain. It turns out that the store is owned by the Houghton Foundation, and they have yet to make the decision to continue the store, or not. You will not be surprised to know that all of us who volunteer at the store hope the Foundation does let us continue.

When I know anything, I will let you know
Karen Sue