:lol:

I couldn't agree more. :iagree: And for me the line is drawn when I read the comments about having such a loyalty to the country.

Cutting out processed sugar, keeping my water intake where it needs to be (1/2 of body weight in ounces) and walking every day.

P.S. I Love You Mrs Pettigrew Lives For a Day (a little language, some nudity from behind in one scene but a VERY sweet story!!!) August Rush And ditto the Lars and the Real Girl suggestion. Very good movie.

Um, yeah. Bush was reading a book to kids, not giving a speech to them about being loyal to their country. I do not need to stop and think. If Bush had made a speech similar to the one Obama is tomorrow, yes, I would feel EXACTLY the same way. Please do not make assumptions simply because I do not agree with the hive regarding the speech Obama is giving. ;) I will agree that parts of it are good. Sure kids need to be motivated and all that jazz. And yes, for a country and an economy to function well it requires people working and doing their part. But the underlying message and references to the country that I quoted in my previous post do bother me.

Eh. It's ok. What rubs me the wrong way are the many references to dedication to our country, not letting the country down, etc.

Congratulations!!! :)

Thanks so much for all the ideas!!! I desperately want to start a compost pile but haven't figured out how to do it for little $$.

We've been studying China this week so tonight's dinner is Chicken Lo Mein. Not 100% authentic..lol..but it worked and was yummmmmy!

Absolutely not.

Here's mine.

I hadn't done one in a while either. Here's my WW.

Well, some swelling can be normal. And yes, diet can help. Getting plenty of water, do not cut out salt, keep your protein intake up...that will all help.

Ditto Macrina. IMO the chinese prefolds are much easier to use and MUCH better quality.

Usually a whole-foods based vitamin will be very gentle on the tummy. They also assimilate much better in the body. One great one is Perfect Prenatal. I highly discourage vitamins like Flintstones. They are full(!!) of horrible ingredients. Food colorings, trans fats, etc. Icky.

It's different for everyone and every pregnancy. If you are just two days late then the nausea may come in a few weeks. Or you may not have that with this pregnancy. I'm not entirely familiar with Vitex during pregnancy but I did find this: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/archive/index.php/t-589657.html B-complex should be safe. B vitamins can also help with nausea. And I'm also not really familiar with L-lysine but I do know that it can be used during pregnancy to help with a herpes outbreak. So it should be safe to keep taking. Flax oil and EPO are both safe. I sure don't. But you could go onto the Mothering message boards, to the Tribal Area for your area and ask. :) You can also ask there about midwives. EPO doesn't induce labor. It just helps ripen the cervix.

Congratulations!!! How exciting! Don't be concerned. Many, many women do not take prenatal vitamins prior to conception. If you are eating a healthy diet you don't need to be concerned with weight gain. Your body will do what it needs to do in order to grow a healthy baby. Make sure you are getting plenty of water, protein (VERY important), and all of the wholesome things our bodies need. Having some "junk" foods is absolutely fine every now and then as long as you are putting in the healthy foods.

Wonderful news! :) I wouldn't appreciate people judging my family so I have no beef with their choices at all.

To answer your questions... As far as diet goes, just maintain a healthy diet. Good nutrition is important to any pregnancy, not just a VBAC. Red Raspberry Leaf tea is great and safe to take during pregnancy. It is a uterine toner and can help prepare the uterus for labor. When you are about 36wks you can start taking Evening Primrose Oil to help ripen the cervix (it does NOT induce labor). Exercise is great regardless of a woman's VBAC status. Even just something simple like walking for 20 minutes a day can be very beneficial. Swimming is excellent exercise during pregnancy. Then just read all you can about normal pregnancy. I'd be happy to email you a recommended reading list if you need some suggestions. I HIGHLY recommend hiring a doula. You will be facing the unknown and having the support of someone experienced in helping women with VBAC is priceless. Also start asking around NOW about which care providers in your area is 120% supportive of VBAC.

Today is our first day as well. :) The first day always goes well. It's the days that follow that can be challenging. ;)

That's awesome!!!

Taught a childbirth class. That's about it. lol Hopefully my day will end with the fun of attending a woman's VBAC birth and helping to catch her baby. :)

Don't plan on it. I'm not buying into the media hype.

Just to clarify...we are talking about different things. The OP mentioned that she is deciding between the HotSling and Tie One On Baby Wrap. Not a ring sling. The HotSling is not a ring sling. It is like a pocket carrier The Tie One On is not a ring sling. It is a wrap. This is the one I mentioned in my post on how to make. A Maya Wrap IS a ring sling. Some of you are mentioning to her the ring slings, which is completely different than the ones she mentioned trying to decide between. Ring slings are great but can tend to droop. The benefit of a wrap is that it holds baby close to your body. I'll step down from my babywearing soapbox now. ;)

Super easy! Sometimes WalMart has great fabric on the $1/yard table. You want something that is almost gauze-like. Do NOT use regular cotton/poly blend fabrics. You'll need about 5-6yds of fabric and will make it about 21-22" wide (I always just folded over the yardage and it was fine). If you have access to a serger it will be a breeze but you can also just fold over the edges and stitch around the fabric. And you're done. :) MaiTais are easy to make too but they are not ideal for newborns. It sounds like you are talking about a ring sling. That's what the Maya is.