February 24, 2012

A Comparison of Birthing Settings: Home, Hospital and Birthing Center Births

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Written by Erin Odom, Contributing Writer With all this talk of birthing babies around here at Keeper of the Home, I asked Stephanie if I could compare three common birth settings: home, hospital and birthing center births.* Whereas a home birth may seem the most natural choice for natural mamas, all three settings have their pros and cons and should be compared, evaluated and prayed through thoroughly before making a decision on where to birth your baby.  Image by eyeliam Home Birth The most natural setting of all [...]

Filed Under: Babies, Pregnancy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 119 Comments
February 21, 2012

Natural Ways to Recover from Pregnancy

Me and my son, Jacob, right after birth.

Written by Kate Tietje, Contributing Writer Post-pregnancy, there's a lot going on.  You have a brand-new baby to get to know, learn to breastfeed, and care for.  You still have your home and possibly other children that need care.  And of course, there's the physical recovery from pregnancy.  I always thought it seemed a little unfair that I was expected to be fully responsible for a tiny person when I was physically drained from pregnancy, labor, and birth!  (Although after three babies, the real drain [...]

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February 18, 2012

10 Decision of Newborn Parents, Part 2

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On Thursday, guest poster Christina began by sharing the first 5 decisions... today she continues on with 5 more decisions for parents of newborns. 6. Newborn Heel Prick Metabolic Disorders Screen Babies usually have a single heel prick to draw a drop or two of blood, which is put on filter paper and run through a tandem mass spectrometry test to screen for an average of 20+ inherited metabolic disorders, including PKU, cystic fibrosis & sickle-cell anemia.  Some states recommend two such tests- one immediately after birth [...]

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February 17, 2012

Postpartum Rest and Recovery Tips (From a Mama Who Learned the Hard Way)

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Written by Natalie Klejwa, Contributing Writer The following question came in my e-mail box a couple of months ago: I am a mother of a one-year-old girl, and I am due with our second in June 2012. :) After I had my daughter, I was told to rest when I came home from the birthing center. Instead, I was going up and down our stairs, trying to upload pictures of our newborn to email to the grandparents. I was more worried about pleasing other people [...]

Filed Under: Babies, Family life, Mothering, Natural Remedies, Pregnancy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , 83 Comments
February 16, 2012

1O Decisions for Parents of Newborns

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Guest Post by Christina Szrama Getting to the birth of your child took a dozen medical decisions at least, some small, some large.  Well, your baby’s been born, you’re recovering, and the decisions just won’t let up.  Welcome to parenthood! :) Let’s walk through each of the 10 decisions you will probably be asked to make before leaving the hospital, birthing center, or at your child’s first pediatric visit (if you delivered at home).  I’ll present each issue, ask the questions “Why would you want [...]

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February 14, 2012

A Baby Shower Giveaway- $172 Value!

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So here I sit, waiting for my sweet baby to arrive (yes, I'm overdue once again). I hoped to have baby news to share by now, but instead, I have a little surprise for the rest of you... As contributing writer Courtney and I commiserated together these past few days about waiting for babies to arrive (she's also pregnant with her 6th, due in April!), she came up with a fantastic idea. Why not have a little fun while I wait and bless someone with a "baby [...]

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February 13, 2012

The Nursing Basket: A Breastfeeding Mother’s Help

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  Written by Courtney, Contributing Writer The birth of a new baby brings an abundance of joy and excitement...and lots of rest, for both mom and baby. Frequent nursing keeps a new mother from extending herself too much, forcing her to sit down and relax often. In those first weeks, it's important for a new mother to keep her focus on recovering from birth and nurturing her new baby, but eventually a more normal schedule will resume and the demands of the household will return. [...]

Filed Under: Babies, Breastfeeding, Getting organized, Homemaking, Mothering Tagged With: , , , , , , , 40 Comments
February 3, 2012

Essential Oils for Baby

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Written by Stacy Karen, Contributing Writer Essential oils make home remedies quick and easy to prepare. With a select few on hand you will be able to create all manner of healing products and all-natural cleaning supplies. When it comes to using essential oils with infants and babies, it can be daunting (and should be approached with caution). I have often wondered how much to use, or if certain oils were safe for young ones. After all, essential oils are extremely concentrated and powerful substances. [...]

Filed Under: Babies, Herbs, Natural Remedies Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , 44 Comments