Archive for May, 2010

Admiration Mondays: Shell Walker

May 31st, 2010

I had very definite ideas of what I wanted the birth of my first child to look like. And I had very specific ideas for what I was looking for in a doctor/midwife. In the first five months of my pregnancy I visited three different gynecologists and interviewed three midwives. Shell was the third midwife I spoke to and when we met her we knew we had found a good match. In some ways Shell was different then I envisioned, she had some spunk to her that I hadn’t really thought of when I envisioned my ideal midwife, but now her spunk is one of the things I love most about her.

There’s a quote from a 16th century midwifery text that says this:

“A Midwife Should Possess A Lady’s Hand, A Hawk’s Eye and A Lion’s Heart”

That is a great way to describe Shell. She has a lady’s hand. She is gentle and kind, compassionate and open.

She has a hawk’s eye. She is ready for whatever happens. She is experienced, intelligent and sharp.

And she has a lion’s heart. She is passionate and energetic. She is strong and powerful. She leads well when needed, but never steps on anyone’s toes and absolutely never forces anything on anyone.

Shell Walker is truly captivating. Shell is one of those people who the more you get to know her, the more interesting she is. Each time we talked with Shell we found out new things about her and I was always so inspired and amazed. She has done so many things and learned from so many disciplines. She is incredibly knowledgeable and experienced. She is professional and her care is comprehensive. I felt like I could trust her completely.

Even with all of her expertise I never felt like she pushed her own ideas or knowledge on my husband and me. She ALWAYS gave us space to make decisions for ourselves. She really let us have the birth that we wanted and allowed us to guide our own birth experience. But, when we weren’t sure about a decision we could ask Shell about it and know that she would give us an informed and balanced opinion – I loved that I could make my own decisions and lead my birth process, and that I also felt completely comfortable deferring to her when I needed to. I felt like Shell gave us the perfect balance of freedom and direction. She was available and knowledgeable and ready to step in if needed or wanted, but when not needed she was able to step aside and let us lead the way.

Shell spent hours and hours with us before the birth and after the birth, not to mention the all-nighter she pulled with us during the actual labor. I felt like she was completely available to us. If we had a question or concern we could, call, text, or email and she would always respond promptly. Even when I was in Prague, and seeing another midwife for my prenatal care, Shell was still hands-on and available to me. I never felt rushed with her. Instead I felt like each time I was with her she wanted to be with me too. It was such a different experience from a normal doctor!

After having gone through a birth with Shell I feel like she is more than just my “care provider”. I feel like she knows me, I feel like she really cares for me. She is my midwife, in all of the most intimate and beautiful meanings of the word. I feel so grateful that I was able to have her beside me holding my hand and supporting me through the most amazing, awe-inspiring, difficult, and beautiful experience of my life.

A Little Blessing for Shell:

Spirit, circle Shell.
Keep comfort near
and discouragement afar.
Spirit, circle Shell.
Bless the hands that deliver life into the world.
Bless the hands that encircle and hold so many women through the biggest change of their lives.
Bless the hands that give strength when strength is needed, direction when confusion floods the heart, and support when weakness presses in.
Spirit, circle Shell.
Bless the work she is doing to create a safe, peaceful space for women to bring forth life.
Spirit, circle Shell.
May she be as blessed and encouraged by the mothers she walks beside as I know they are by her.
Spirit, circle Shell.
Mother her as she has mothered so many.
Spirit, circle Shell.
Keep peace within
and turmoil out.
Spirit, circle Shell.
Keep hope within
and disappointment without.
Keep light near
and darkness afar.
I bless you, Shell, midwife and sister,
in the name of the Holy Three,
the Father, the Son and the Sacred Spirit.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Scenes From my Life: Meatball Subs

May 29th, 2010

Homemade bread, homemade meatballs, homemade tomato sauce… yummy!! Next time I’ll have to try my hand at homemade mozzarella.

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Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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My Experience with Cloth Diapers

May 29th, 2010

There are lots of articles online about the benefits of cloth diapers and the pros and cons of cloth vs. disposable – this is not really going to be one of them. If you are looking for an article about why you should (or shouldn’t) use cloth diapers here are some great starting places:

Today I just want to share with you about my own personal experience with cloth diapers.

Before my son was born my husband and I did our research and decided that we wanted to use cloth diapers. I was excited about using cloth diapers. But, those first few months after my son was born I felt really intimidated by them.

When my son was first born we were in the states staying with family (you can read about my birth story here). At the time I only had two cloth diapers. One of them was a bumGenius One-size all-in-one
and the other was a pocket diaper.  I remember looking at my cloth diapers and feeling totally lost and unsure how to use it. Somehow in the process of suitcases and staying with other people I lost the instructions they had come with. I tried them out a time or two, but I just felt unsure. So, I bought organic disposable diapers. I felt sad about it, but I just didn’t want to deal with figuring out the cloth ones.

When we came back to Prague my dear friend generously gave us all of her old cloth diapers (since they weren’t planning on having any more kids).  The one’s she gave us were fitted cloth diapers with covers. She took time to show me exactly how to use them – she even let me watch her put one on. She also walked me through how to wash them and care for them. It was exactly what I needed. She made it so easy for me. From that point on I was sold! I love my cloth diapers.

I love that I don’t have to spend a fortune on disposables, I love that I don’t have piles of dirty diapers I have to take out to the trash. I love that I’m not filling up the landfills with diapers. I love that I’m just putting natural cloth on my son’s bottom.

So, here are some thoughts about the three different kinds of cloth diapers I’ve tried and what I think about them:

  • Fitted diapers with covers: This is what my friend gave us. I actually really like that these ones are sized. We started with the small and now he’s wearing the medium size. I like that because I feel like they actually fit him a little better. They also don’t seem quite as bulky as the other cloth diapers because they are made just for his size. Also, because the diaper and cover are separate it gives me the option to put the diaper on without the cover if I want – which I really like. I’m sure you are asking yourself why I would ever want to have him wear just the diaper and not the cover, so I’ll tell you. I like that when he’s just wearing the diaper I can tell right away when he’s gone to the bathroom which makes it so that I can change him right away. I’ve found this to be helpful when he’s had a diaper rash because he doesn’t stay in the diaper for too long. It also lets me know when he’s going, which helps me to become more in tune with his coos and signals. We have considered ECing, but I’ve never really got up the guts to do it. For me having just the diaper without the cover on him feels like a step towards ECing and I like that. One thing I don’t like as much about these one’s is that you really have to make sure that all of the diaper is tucked inside the cover or it will leak – it’s not that big a deal and definitely isn’t hard to do, but now that Thad is bigger and moving around so much I sometimes miss little bits of the diaper sticking out from the cover and then we end up with leaks.
  • Pocket diaper: I like this one a lot too but for different reasons. I feel like these one’s are the least likely to leak – but maybe that’s just in my head, I’ve never really tested it.
  • bumGenius All-in-One: Right now this one is my favorite and I would love a few more of these. Now that Thaddeus is mobile and crawling he hates staying still long enough for me to change his diaper. I have often put diapers on him while he’s in a crawling position instead of on his back and the all in one makes doing that so much easier. It doesn’t take as long to just throw this one on him and Velcro it as it does to put a liner in the pocket diaper and then put it on him or as it does to put the diaper on him and then put the cover over it. So, for right now this one is great. I do feel though that when he was littler this one didn’t fit quite as well and was really bulky, but now it seems to be fine.

Questions a reader recently asked me about cloth diapers:

“Did you do all cloth ones or cloth ones with flushable/disposable liner in the middle? Do they have such a thing?”

They do have disposable liners and we have used these some. We didn’t use them at all at first, but I do sometimes use them now. I particularly use them in the mornings since I know that is when Thaddeus will usually have a bowel movement. Using the liner at that time helps minimize the mess a little bit.

As a side note that is sort of related to this but not really, I also use cloth wipes and I LOVE them and have actually found them easier when I’m using cloth diapers. When I’m at home I just keep the cloth wipes in a little bowl with some water and a bit of baking soda and/or salt so they are ready to use when I want them. If we go out I throw a few damp one’s in a zip lock bag and put it in the diaper bag.

“Do you still use regular diapers when you’re out and about so when you change it you can just toss the diaper when you’re not at home?”

I actually use cloth when we go out and it’s not hard at all. You should get what’s known as a wet bag. Basically it’s a zippered bag that has fabric on the outside and a leak proof lining on the inside. You just put your dirty diaper and wipes in the wet bag and then throw it in your diaper bag no worries. The wet bags are also washable so every once in a while, when it seems they need it, you can throw them in the wash as well.

One exception to this is when we are traveling. I use disposable diapers when we travel. It’s just so much easier when you are at hotels and staying at other people’s homes.

“If you use the cloth diapers do you always do a separate laundry load for them? Do the old one just stick around for 3-4 days till you get enough to do a full load?”

Yes, I always wash them in a separate load of laundry. I wash them through a cold rinse without soap (basically as a cold rinse to keep stains from setting to badly) and then wash them through a warm/hot cycle with soap. I usually hang them to dry.
Often I do a load of diapers every third day or so. In the mean time I keep mine in a bucket, although you can also get diapers pails made just for cloth diapers. It’s usually recommended to keep them in some water and a little vinegar to avoid stains from setting into the diapers. The covers for the two piece diapers don’t need to be washed after each use – as long as they are just wet/damp you can just hang them up to dry and use them again. After a few uses they will start to smell a bit and then they should be washed. I wash covers about once a week.
I will say this in addition, cloth diapers are a little messier than disposables, but they aren’t nearly as messy as you may think. Sure, you will have to touch soiled diapers, but all parents end up with their child’s waste on them at some point or another, whether they use cloth diapers or not. You just clean up well and it’s not that big of a deal.

“Do they leak more than the regular diapers?”

Well, yes. I think they do. But, if you change your child regularly then it’s really not a big deal and you don’t really need to worry about leaks at all. I will say though that in the past few weeks I have started to use disposable diapers on my son at night because he will always leak out of the cloth diapers at night. If I put him in a cloth diaper I need to change him three times during the night in order to avoid leaks and that wakes him up a lot and breaks up his sleep which isn’t good. So, I will usually put him in a disposable diaper before bed so that I don’t have to think about it during the night. This has worked really well for us and we will probably continue doing this at least for the time being.
Alright, well, hopefully that is helpful for some of you out there considering cloth diapers. Using cloth diapers is a mixed bag with some pros and some cons, but overall I have never regretted using cloth diapers, I will use them again with future children, and I would highly recommend using cloth diapers to any friend who is pregnant.

What are your thoughts on cloth diapers? Have you used them? What did you think of them? What kinds of cloth diapers were your favorites?

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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FREE Bonus Material from New Cooking Class

May 28th, 2010

Monday I told you about a blogger that I truly admire and yesterday I told you about the cooking class that she is offering, today I want to share with you a little teaser for that cooking class.

Jenny at Nourished Kitchen posted a bonus video from the cooking class for FREE. I love it! This bonus video is shorter and less detailed then the actual lessons will be, but it is still packed with lots of good information. I love that the recipes have so many variations and it’s all so easy! Check it out for yourself and if you like it sign up TODAY (registration closes on May 31st).

NOTE: if you use my link to sign up I’ll get a little bit of commission which would be greatly appreciated and used to help make this site a better resource for all of you.

Click here to download the recipes and worksheet. Here’s the video:

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

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Make Way for Whey

May 28th, 2010

Lately we’ve been making whey – LOTS of whey. Well, I guess we aren’t really “making” whey, we are just collecting it.

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You see, I recently learned that you can make your own cream cheese from yogurt (thanks Nourishing Traditions!) and ever since we have been making homemade cream cheese every week. It tastes so much better than the store bought stuff, it’s cheaper, and it is so easy!

Here’s how you do it:

It’s easy. According to my husband all you have to do is “Get the yogurt out of the whey.” Yes, he thought that was funny. So, start by putting some yogurt in double layered cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter (I actually just use an old t-shirt of my husband’s that I’ve cut up and washed well and designated just for that purpose).  Hang the yogurt over a bowl and leave it for a few hours or overnight (like in the picture). You can also just leave it in a strainer instead of hanging it. Afterwards you will be left with yummy yogurt cheese in the cloth and a bunch of whey in the bowl.

So, what do you do with bowls and bowls of whey? Honestly, I haven’t really known. I use some of it to make my beet kvass, and I plan on using some of it to ferment some vegetables soon. But, I feel like I have so much of it I haven’t been able to use it fast enough.

Whey is something that I realized I know almost nothing about – apart from the nursery rhyme “Little Miss Muffet”, of courses. In all honesty that was the only time I’d heard of using or eating whey. So, of course, I got online and decided to learn all I could about whey.

Here are a few things I learned:

  • Whey is good for you! It contains a high quality protein that is easily accessible to the body, as well as all the water-soluble vitamins and minerals from the milk.
  • Whey has been shown to increase lean muscle mass.
  • Whey protein is sometimes referred to as “the most nutritious protein available.”
  • It can increase energy.
  • It may help reduce stress fractures in athletes.
  • It can strengthen the immune system.
  • There is some research to suggest it might help with cancer, particularly prostate cancer.
  • Whey is recommended to burn patients because the quality protein it contains can help speed up the healing of wounds.
  • Whey can cause migraines in some people.

After a little more research I now have a whole list of ways to use whey:

  • Make Ricotta Cheese (although I’m not sure that I can do this with the whey left over from yogurt cheese – does anyone know?)
  • Use it as a substitute for the liquid in baked goods (pancakes, scones, bread, etc.)
  • Mix it with fruit juice for a quick energy drink
  • Make lacto-fermented pickled vegetables
  • Use it as a substitute for buttermilk in recipes
  • Add it to soup stock
  • Water acid-loving plants like roses with it
  • Feed it to chickens, pigs or other animals
  • Cook pasta or rice in it instead of water
  • Pour a mixture of 50% whey and 50% water on berry bushes to increase the yield
  • Make smoothies out of it (for example mix it with a banana and cocoa powder)
  • Make Mysost
  • Drink it plain (Whey used to be a popular drink at inns and coffee houses)
  • Take a bath in it

Well, that gave me a lot of ideas… Now I think I’ll go sit on my Tuffet, eat some curds and whey and pray no spiders come along. Speaking of which, does anyone know what a Tuffet is?

Have you ever collected whey after cheese making? If so what did you do with it?

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

This post has been entered in the following blog carnivals: Fight Back Friday, Food Revolution Friday, Food on Fridays, and Wholesome Whole Foods. Check out all of these links for lots of other wonderful posts all about food.

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