Posts Tagged ‘mom’

August 19th, 2010

Motherhood Made Me MORE Pro-Choice

For any of you who have been around since I was pregnant with my oldest son, you would know that my pregnancy was no walk in the park. From the very get go, I was in and out of the hospital repeatedly with dehydration, pre-term labor, kidney stones, and various other complications related to a cervical surgery I had in 2003 when I was 18 years old. Needless to say, my journey into motherhood, especially that pregnancy helped to re-shape my pro choice views.

As a teen, I talked with amazingly close family members about pregnancy before Roe V. Wade, teen mothers in my family who were whisked off to other states, married off, and forced to bear children that would have otherwise been unwanted.  The women I love and respect never pulled any punches with me. And it certainly helped to shape me into the most liberal pro choice woman I probably could be.  While others in my family had children and became pro life, or at least pro life for their selves, my views continues to become increasingly pro choice during each of my pregnancies, and birth experiences, especially with my oldest.

I want to explain my line of thinking further.

I believe in choices. Choices in childbirth, pregnancy, reproduction in general, parenting choices, lifestyle choices. Choice… all around choice.

My difficult pregnancy made me realize that women should never be forced into a choice, like pregnancy and childbirth, unless it is something they truly want, are prepared for, and consent to. On a sidenote, consenting to sex is not consenting to pregnancy. I cannot imagine being forced to go through the ups and downs, emotions, mood swings, physical changes, swollen ankles, aches and pains, contractions, birth, especially surgical birth, when a woman did not wish to be involved in any of it from the get go.

Not only could it be mentally damaging, it could shape her view of children in general for the rest of her life.

Of course women that make the rash decision to abort before she has fully examined all of her options, and made an informed choice could really feel the same way, but that is another post in itself. Because I care about all women, not just those who agree with me.

Moral of this story?  While I was pro choice before, I am even more pro choice now, as a mother, by choice, of two amazing little boys, and of course more children in the future by choice.

Shout out to all my pro choice moms!

May 9th, 2010

I Love My Mother!

I think that many of us mothers do not appreciate our own mothers until we become mothers ourselves. Which brings me to my post today. I never think I really appreciated (well on the level I should have) until I really understood how much mothers give up for their own children.

My mother has an amazing story to tell of success as not only a teen mother, but a single mother which started in 1969 with the birth of my oldest brother. When he was 21 months old my sister was born in 1971.  Shortly after my mother left her then husband, and started a rough journey as a single mother. Which she remained until the early 1980′s when she met my father. After sleepless nights, working three jobs at one time, and no help from her own mother like one would expect this day in age in her situation. She eventually after all the hard work and struggling owned her own successful bar/restaurant in Lordship directly on the water at what is now called “The Sea Wall” which was called Pop’s. Also where she met my father who had just returned from living for almost a decade in California, and returned home to where he grew up.

My father was a brave man, single mother, with two teens. Most guys today would not even think twice and run the other way. They fell in love, and I was born in June of 1985, followed by their wedding in August of 1985.  We were all one big family. As I was growing up my mother became a stay at home mother for the first time in her life. She was able to stay at home with me and always be included in the school functions, and whatever else I decided to sign myself up for as I got older.

In 1996 my mother became a Grandmother for the first time to Dylan, who she has always called her “boyfriend” and he continues to be a Grandma’s boy. It wasn’t until he was born that I realized how dedicated she is not only to her own children, but to her grandchildren also. Dylan was followed by Eli, Theo, and then came Camden in 2007. Followed by Jacob in early 2008.

When I became pregnant with my first child, my mother went from being my mother, to my best friend. We went to lunch together weekly, which was always followed by some kind of baby shopping, OB/GYN appointment, ultrasound, registry, baby shower planning, or whatever other baby planning event needed to get done that week. She helped me decorate his nursery, pick out his crib, clothes, and all the adorable clothes. She planned and hosted my baby shower, and has been the worlds best Grandmother to my children. We always job with her that Ben is her fault.  She had purchased Camden a long sleeve shirt to put under whatever he was wearing for the day, and the shirt said “I’m the Big Brother” well that month Ben was conceived. LOL!

I could not ask for a better example as a mother (as most of our family calls her Martha Stuart) and Grandmother for my children. She is always the first to step up and help out, the first to the rescue when I need her, the first at the hospital when the kids were born, and the first one to offer a helping hand when she sees me up to my eyeballs in laundry, stress, or dishes.

I love you Mom!
Happy Mother Day!

February 7th, 2010

Cesarean Recovery Kit Winner & Win a Hotslings Pouch Sling!

I am glad that I was able to do a couple posts last week about cesarean recovery, as well as cesarean awareness since it is really a huge issue. Not many people really know the depth of the cesarean epidemic that really is taking place in our country.

So the moment we have all been waiting for!  The Winner of the Cesarean Recovery Kit from Earth Momma Angel Baby!

And the winner is!   Embee!
Please e-mail me within the next couple days to collect your prize!
CTBirthAdvocate@aol.com

But here comes the best part!  Since we are still in the middle of the Momotics 2nd Blogaversary giveaway, we have yet another NEW Giveaway to announce!  This giveaway is going to run for a week and a half, because I noticed the last two giveaways that have only run for a week, there have not been very many entries. The winner will be announced on Wednesday February 17th!

But what are we giving away now?? We have given away a Labor Kit, A Diaper Bag, and a Cesarean Recovery Kit… so what in the world could it be?

A Hotslings Pouch Sling in Size 3 in the Shabby Chic Pattern.
I can honestly say, I am not familiar with the sling sizing though.
So here is a link to their sizing chart.

So how do you enter to win?
Well since I moved from Blogger, to WordPress, I have lost an awful lot of my followers who had become followers through google on blogger. Unfortunately with the move, I lost them all!

So, one of the ways you can enter is by becoming a google follower again!
If you scroll down on the left hand side, under My Favorite Ladies, and Above my Ask me Anything button you will see the new Google Friends Connect!  Sign up there!
Don’t forget to comment below to tell that you signed up!

Another way to enter for this giveaway is by writing a blog about it on your own blog, or on a site that you write for.
Include the link to the blog in your entry/comment below.

Write about it on Twitter!
Be sure to include @BirthBabiesBlog in your tweet!

Become a fan of Momotics on Facebook!!
Don’t forget to comment below, and let me know who you are on FB!

So now that you know all the ways to enter to win, get on it!  And make sure to tell all your friends about the giveaway, and the new Momotics Site!  I have lost a decent amount of traffic from my move, and I think a lot of my readers just don’t know where to find me!  So help everyone know that we moved to our own domain finally!