WELCOME!!
Hello ladies! First I want to thank you for visiting The Belly Button Connection (TBBC). TBBC was originally created as a forum for mothers: aspiring, expecting, and veteran. The name was derived from the baby’s connection to the mother: physically, mentally, and emotionally. I wanted TBBC to be a place where women received both accurate and positive feedback about pregnancy. Since creating TBBC I’ve learned that our thoughts about pregnancy, motherhood, and womanhood start long before the onset of puberty. In fact, it starts with our relationships with our own mothers, aunts, sisters, and peers. Our hardships are not our own. They are passed down from generation to generation, friend to friend, spouse to spouse, parent to child. This doesn’t have to be the case. Leo Buscaglia said it best when he said, “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
TBBC is that touch, smile, kind word, listening ear, honest compliment, and smallest act of caring. My mission is to keep you abreast on events, programs, and seminars that will be beneficial to you as well as partner with organizations that will improve your confidence, increase your self-esteem, and help you become the woman you strive to be for yourself, your family, and generations to follow.
There are so many moms who count on the doctors and nurses to do what's best for mom and baby. But, many times what doctors and nurses think are "best" are routine and unnecessary. So, what are you doing to learn about your baby and your rights as a parent?
You'll be surprised how quickly you will finish books telling you what's going on with your little one from learning what's developing this week to how to handle nausea and constipation. You'll also learn about safe medications, maintaining a healthy diet, and hospital procedures which will better equip you to create your birth plan. Your OB will give you some reading literature to take home after your first prenatal appointment but the reading shouldn't stop there. Be sure to check out:
Bottles, Budgets, and Birthplans: What You Really Need to Know to Get Ready for Baby by Katina Z. Jones
What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
Painless Childbirth: An Empowering Journey Through Pregnancy and Childbirth by Giuditta Tornetta
- Find a mommy group nearby
Your "non-mommy friends" can't understand sore breasts and nausea the way a pregnant woman can. They can't wait to get to happy hour while you can't wait to get in your bed for an afternoon nap. You're in different places now; It's natural. And, usually your "mommy friends" are too busy well, being a mommy! Meet other moms who can sympathize with your symptoms, fears, excitement, and emotions! These websites are very helpful when it comes to connecting moms.
Hot Moms Club
The Bump
Meetup
- Speak with friends/family about their experience(s)
People love to tell you their pregnancy/parenting experiences be they good or bad. I know it's hard, but try not to get too wrapped up in the horror stories. Hearing about Grandma's birth experience is a quick way to learn what you DON'T want to happen during your baby's birth. The goal is to become informed and maybe even get a laugh or two.
- Contact your insurance and tell them "I'm expecting!"
Most insurance companies have a Healthy Moms program which sends expecting parents a bag of goodies and even provide a 24 hr. nurse hotline. You're paying for it so why not enjoy the benefits!
I was surfing the net and found this article on ThinkGirl. I love how Strachan compares our perception of childbirth with a child's depiction of sexual intercourse. And, I believe she's right. Childbirth, as it is portrayed in the media and unfortunately shared from woman to woman, is all about the gore, the pain, and the physical changes. And, that story has grown and spread like a wildfire. On the one hand it's an eye-opener to women's unfortunate childbirth experiences. Yet, on the other hand, it's the same story I've heard over and over again, told by so many women that it has become "just another story", the norm. After reading, yet again, about a woman who wished her labor had gone differently and recognized the flaws in today's maternal care it makes me wonder if it will ever end. And, ifthere something we can do to stop the cycle, what is the solution?
Recently I've been reading about the history of midwifery. I've learned about my ancestors who gathered around women with herbs and bibles providing tender care while patiently waiting as a miracle took place right before their eyes. It goes without saying that we have gotten away from this type of patient-friendly care; however, I cannot slight obstetricians because they are very much needed. I think the problem lies within the division. Some women want any preventions that will help them to have a painless labor where they participate as little as possible. And then, there are women who give birth at home, completely unassisted, because they despise medical practice when it comes to childbirth. I rarely hear of the woman in the middle who feels safer at a hospital yet doesn't want any medical assistance from her attending nurses and doctors Or, the woman who wants to give birth at home that isn't growing medicinal herbs and vegetables outside her front door and doesn't immunize her children. To me, this is problematic. I believe finding this woman and learning more about her and her childbirth decisions will help to bridge this ever-widening gap. I also believe that educating the nurses and doctors on why women choose a non-medical birth is essential as I've heard nurses ask, "Why wouldn't you take medication to help you with this pain?" as if they've never heard anything dumber. Education, an open-mind, and respect for other's opinions is always key. Please share your thoughts with TBBC.
I would like to share with you a very special and necessary organization, the African American Breastfeeding Alliance, Inc. (AABA). While breastfeeding is important for all mothers and babies, there has been a significant decline in breastfeeding within the African American community. My commentary wouldn't do them justice so I'm going to simply paste their self-written introduction below. Enjoy.The African-American Breastfeeding Alliance, Inc. (AABA) was founded because a disproportionate number of African-American women don’t breastfeed; for the ones that do try, less than 20% breastfeed past six months postpartum (according to a 1997 Ross Laboratories study.) This is paradoxical because the worldwide average for weaning a child from the breast is 41/2 years old. AABA’s mission is to: increase the number of African-American women (and women of African descent) who breastfeed; educate African-American women about the infant and maternal benefits of breastfeeding; provide valuable resources about breastfeeding; offer on-going support to women who decide to breastfeed; and collaborate with other organizations that have an interest in the health and well-being of African-American women and infants. AABA uses a holistic approach to educating women because breastfeeding is both a mental and a physical experience. To date, AABA is the only non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to educate African-American women, and families, about the maternal, infant and societal benefits of breastfeeding. While there are several websites and books on breastfeeding, none speak directly to the needs of African-American women. Goals set by organizations such as the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program, and initiatives such as Healthy People 2010 that address the health issue of pregnant and lactating African-American women, have not created effective interventions to reach these goals. AABA’s objectives directly meet the breastfeeding goals of Healthy People 2010. In fact, Healthy People 2010 states on their website that “…increasing the rate of breastfeeding, particularly among the low-income, racial, and ethnic populations less likely to begin breastfeeding in the hospital or to sustain it throughout the infant’s first year, is an important public health goal.” AABA works to fill the gaps of organizations that have maternal and infant health—specifically breastfeeding—objectives targeting African-American women.AABA targets pregnant women, initially, during their second trimester, and then follows up right after the birth with continued breastfeeding support and resources. It has been shown that prenatal clinics offering workshops and information on breastfeeding have a positive influence on African-American women who decide to breastfeed. One study suggests, “the prenatal period may be a critical time to influence a prospective black mother’s decision to breastfeed her infant.” (JSPN vol.1, No.1, April-June, 1996.) This study also found that “personalized and well-designed educational resources such as pamphlets, brochures, and videos that deal with the benefits, contraindications and support programs for breastfeeding” prove to be influential in this decision as well. The dire need for AABA has never been fully explored before. By partnering with health professionals and agencies, AABA is committed to providing quality breastfeeding education, resources and support to African-American women and the healthcare community at-large.
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