Crowd birthing – All aboard, next stop, BIRTH!

The idea that some women want to bring 5, 8, 10 people into the birthing room, along with a live-feed video camera(s), is absurd to me, however, this has been gaining enough popularity that the term was coined, Crowd Birthing.

It’s been suggested that this new popularity began with Kourtney Kardashian’s birth video where there were 8+ people coming and going out of the room (not including the hospital staff).  Nevertheless, this seems to be an (un)natural progression of the teens and twenty-something’s idea of sharing EVERYTHING on social media.  Nothing is sacred anymore.  We’ve seen the Womb-tubers sharing the pee-on-the-stick moment and the first sonogram viewing parties.  Now we’re up to, “Let’s share birth with 800 of my closest FaceBook friends!”  What’s next?  Anyone up for a close-up circumcision video?

Aside from the obvious (to me) oversharing and TMI of doing this, there are other factors to consider. Too many people in the small confines of a birthing room can hinder the nursing staff and doctors from doing their jobs, most especially if there is a medical emergency.  Many hospitals have a limit to the number of people they allow in the room.  There’s a reason for that, not the least of which is that they don’t need the circus atmosphere of multiple unnecessary people talking and milling about.

You know, It’s not like on TV, this is not a glamorous process. It’s messy and exhausting and wonderful but you may not want to invite anyone you wouldn’t want to puke or poop in front of. I mean do we really need a live feed of your placenta?  SMILE, your vagina’s on candid camera!

Genetic Odds, Waiting and Tears

A pregnant mother and career cartoonist, illustrator and painter receives news that her and her husband both carry the genes for a chronic fatal disease. Lauren Weinstein and husband are sent to a genetic counselor.  It’s a scary time. This is the story of their wait told through her cartoons.

Follow along as this cartoonist and mother worries and hopes through the waiting to find out the results of their genetic testing.

http://nautil.us/blog/carriers-a-webcomic-on-health-luck-and-life

DJ Babes-a-Lot in the House

Have you heard about the new cool thing in Brooklyn for the 3 year old set? It’s a music mixing school allowing kids 1-3 yrs to try their hand at mixing electronic music, basically being their own DJ.

Sounds crazy right?  But it’s getting a lot of buzz. The class turns the kids loose on actual beat-mixing equipment. During the classes they learn to mix separate tracks to make their own music. The idea behind this is that very young children benefit from interaction with other kids and parents by developing their fine motor skills while being creative and appreciating music.  Some kids fine it very stimulating while others don’t take to it as well.

Baby DJ School, located in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, is the brainchild of seasoned DJ Natalie Weiss who is the founder and instructor. Her course is 8 sessions, each 45 minutes, for $200.  She hopes to take her classes nationwide.

There are the neigh sayers though. Some Brooklyn residents have said they think this is just another thing to do to try to seem hip saying, ” It’s cool because you can afford to pay $200 for it”.

The kids just like that they can touch the pads, sliders and knobs without hearing “No No”.    

For more information on these classes visit: http://redtri.com/new-york/baby-dj-school

 

 

If the price tag is a bit steep for you or you’re nowhere near Brooklyn, here’s a tip: There’s an app for the iphone/ipad called “Baby DJ” to get you started.

What do you think about this idea?  Ridiculous or ingenious?  Beneficial or attempt at status building?

Pregnancy Paparazzi:What's up with ultrasound parties?

We’ve had baby showers since before anyone can remember anything else that was done to celebrate an upcoming birth. Next, we ramped it up with Daddy Diaper parties and then it was gender reveal parties. Now the latest…? Live sonogram parties! OVERSHARE!

This has been called, “The latest rage for self-important pregnant women”. It’s no longer good enough to have cake with pink or blue filling or an ultrasound picture to show around to family and friends (if not posted to FaceBook). Now we need a live audience in the room for the actual sonogram? Do we really need to get this intimately involved with the mom-to-be’s pregnancy?

What’s next? The conception achieved reveal where friends gather for the actual pregnancy test so they can get the news the minute the strip turns blue? I completely understand the excitement that surrounds pregnancy and the ultrasound is an intimate milestone of that but why do some people seem to need others to validate their most precious moments?

This also begs another question: what if there’s a problem? This happens more than people realize and today ultrasounds are used to diagnose many disorders and malformations. What do you do/say if it becomes apparent that the fetus has not developed properly or, God forbid, there’s no heartbeat? The difficulty of getting that message would be magnified tremendously by an entire roomful of party goers.

While it’s generally contended that an ultrasound is safe for a baby, medical experts caution against having these parties. The American College of Radiology and the Food and Drug Administration discourage having ultrasounds purely for entertainment and not for medical reasons.

If you’re still not detracted from having one of these “baby bump” parties, it’ll set you back about $200-600 depending on who you get to come to your private home. That would buy an awful lot of diapers! These services are popping up all over the U.S. Many sonographers have package deals where they bring and set-up the examination table, imaging equipment and screens for viewing at the party.

Is this the time for a party atmosphere? “Need another drink?”, “Try the canapés” and “Oh, How did you like my uterus?” Is nothing private anymore? Some things should still be intimate so thanks, but no thanks, I’d rather not be invited to your sonogram!

(BTW: the sonogram pic above is Beyonce's, just shared with HBO recently. Didn't you recognize Blue Ivy?)

{If you find yourself invited to a bump party or a traditional baby shower, might I suggest a http://www.WickedCoolBaby.com gift set or garment as a gift? Our designs are funny, cool and perfect for giving something adorable to the Mom-to-be!}

We Can’t be too Safe

Of course, I’m going to start this by saying I don’t ever remember this happening when I was a kid. Thank goodness. I’m sure it happened but it was much more rare. I realize then it was a simpler time but the world is getting scarier and scarier these days. Children being abducted. Not just when they wander off, out in the woods, playing in a vacant lot or behind a dark building, but on our streets, in front of the school, broad daylight, in our yards and right under our noses.

Today we fight it harder. We have tighter security at schools, neighborhood watch and other wonderful programs like the Amber Alert and it still happens. Parents have to be more diligent than ever, even if we’re busy, even if it’s inconvenient. Even if we’re lucky and it’s never happened to us or anyone we know.

Sometimes a miracle happens and the child is found unharmed as in a recent case in Toulon, Illinois where a 3 week old baby was found under a bridge within 24 hours of abduction.

http://www.fireengineering.com/news/2012/10/01/missing-baby-found-alive-and-healthy.html

Sometimes we don’t get the miracle that we pray so hard for, as in the case just this week in my area, Westminster, Colorado of Jessica Ridgeway, 10 yrs old, found dismembered, one week after her abduction.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/12/14396130-body-found-in-colorado-is-that-of-missing-girl-jessica-ridgeway-authorities-confirm?lite

We used to leave Saturday morning on our bikes and not come home until 5 o’clock for dinner. That cannot be any more. That time is over. Never leave a young child alone, not even for a minute. Know where your children are and what they’re doing. Arrange for supervised play, escort to school and know the people that they'll be around.

If these stories don’t scare you, nothing will. If you send your kids out to play, go with them, play with them or grab a cup of coffee and sit on the deck. Keep a watchful eye on them. So what if the floor needs mopping or the laundry needs to be done, the floor can wait, your children can’t.

For statistics on the number of children abducted each year, visit the website for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2810#1