St. Croix Birth & Parenting LLC - Blog

Up, Up, and Away! (Tummy Time Activity Video #4)

1/2/2021

Help your baby's tummy time take off with the Airplane Game! No equipment needed.

In Up, Up, and Away! (Tummy Time Activity Video #4) you will learn:

A traditional game to help make tummy time fun
Alternative positions for the airplane game
A great way dads and other significant people can play with baby during tummy time

This video is intended for educational purposes only. Please consult with your baby's doctor or medical care provider for specific advice about the care of your baby.

Music Credits

Folk Bed
Musician: Jason Shaw
URL: https://audionautix.com
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Lazy Day
Musician: Jason Shaw
URL: https://audionautix.com

Ice Cream
Musician: Ilya Truhanov
URL: https://icons8.com/music

Don't Stop Now
Musician: ASHUTOSH
URL: https://soundcloud.com/grandakt

Rock 'n' Roll Your Baby (Tummy Time Activity Video #3)

12/23/2020

Rock your baby's tummy time by using a large ball!

Rock 'n' Roll Your Baby (Tummy Time Activity Video #3) explains how to:

Use a large exercise / stability / birth / yoga ball to add some variety to your baby's tummy time routine
Wear your baby as a means to cut down the time baby spends on his or her back
Combine babywearing and gentle bouncing on the ball to soothe your baby

This video is intended for educational purposes only. Please consult your baby's doctor or medical care provider for specific advice about the care of your baby. Always follow any baby carrier's instructions for safe babywearing and ensure baby's airway is straight so they can breathe freely.

Music Credits

Chill
Musician: LIQWID
URL: http://soundcloud.com/liqwid

Ice Cream
Musician: Ilya Truhanov
URL: https://icons8.co/music

Lazy Day
Musician: Jason Shaw
URL: https://audionautix.com/

Sweet
Musician: LIQWID
URL: http://soundcloud.com/liqwid

Who's that Baby in the Mirror? (Tummy Time Activity Video #2)

12/4/2020

Use safe mirror play to make tummy time more enjoyable for your baby!

Who's that Baby in the Mirror? (Rumble Tumble Tummy Time Activity Video #2) explains how to:

Use mirror play to meet your baby's tummy time goals
Support your baby's visual tracking and social skills
Use brief periods of tummy time to get some much needed Me Time!

Music Credits:
Lazy Day
Musician: Jason Shaw
URL: https://audionautix.com

Tiny People
Musician: Alexei De Bronhe
URL: https://icons8.com/music

Ice Cream Musician:
Ilya Truhanov
URL: https://icons8.com/music

Whenever
Musician: LiQWYD
URL: http://www.soundcloud.com/liqwyd

Roll Over and Read! (Tummy Time Activity Video #1)

11/24/2020

Make tummy time fun and expand your baby's world by reading books! A complete explanation of the benefits, how to tips, a song, and an alternative position if baby hasn't yet learned to enjoy being on the tummy! Learn to use the sign for BOOK so your baby will learn how to ask you for special "story time" cuddle sessions!

Enjoy what you learned? Want more! Let's get ready to Rumble...and Tumble! 🤣 Sign up for our series of four 45-minute Baby and Me playgroup sessions called Rumble Tumble Tummy Time. 😄

How to Make Tummy Time GREAT!

11/20/2020

St. Croix Birth & Parenting's President, certified Baby Signs instructor, Christelle Hagen, HCHD, ICI, shares tips for making tummy time fun and a great way to bond with your baby in this new video recently posted to our new YouTube channel!

Curious? Want more? Sign up now for our four-session tummy time online playgroup!

On the idea of 'on demand sex' within the loving marriage

7/6/2017

The self-proclaimed egalitarian lifestyle blog, Ezer, recently published a post titled "On Demand Sex Won't Meet Your Husband's Needs," by freelance writer and kindergarten teacher, Bailey, concerning the expectation of "on demand sex" within Christian marriage. Here are my thoughts on this topic, as a natural fertility educator and happy wife of almost twenty years.

"On demand sex" describes a situation in which one spouse (typically, the husband) expects the other spouse (typically, the wife) to be available anytime for sex. In the Christian marital context, this expectation appears to stem most directly from several verses in the book of 1 Corinthians (quoted in the sidebar). At first blush, this passage seems to suggest that spouses have a biblical right to demand sex from the other because the other has no right to his or her own body. But is that really what this passage means?

The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

~1 Corinthians 7: 3-5, NRSV

In a genuine, loving marriage, one's spouse must be more than a convenient means to one's own pleasure--a perverse state which is in fact, self-love. In contrast, married persons are called to "love, honor and cherish" their spouses--as so beautifully stated in the traditional marriage vows. Elsewhere, Paul encourages Christian husbands to "love their wives as they do their own bodies" and to "nourish and tenderly care" for their wives as they do their own bodies (Ephesians 5:28). The proposed 'selfish' interpretation of this passage from I Corinthians seems strangely at odds with the entire Christian faith, which is one of self-sacrifice, not indulgence. And certainly, a Christian marriage, where husband is called to symbolize Christ, and the wife, His Bride, (cf. Ephesians 5:22-23) must not be self-seeking, but one of mutual love, tenderness, and care. Indeed, Paul tells husbands to imitate Christ who "gave himself up" for His bride (Ephesians 5:25). It is completely incongruous to imagine the same Paul who calls Ephesian husbands to give themselves up, even to the point of death, would here be giving Corinthian husbands carte blanche to indulge themselves in sexual intercourse at whim without concern for the desires of their wives.

But what of the end of this passage, where Paul seems to criticize, or at least strongly caution against, the abstinence from sexual intercourse upon which natural family planning methods are based? While I haven't conducted a survey, there is no doubt a wide range of frequency of intercourse between individual marriages. And certainly, depending on the stage of life one is in, within the same marriage over time there will be seasons of frequent intercourse--and seasons of infrequent intercourse. Nonetheless, a loving marriage normally includes the good of intercourse as often as the spouses decide, as a beautiful means of uniting them, and delighting each other, as well as helping to bring children into the world, when they are so blessed. I do not believe that this passage is so much a condemnation or discouragement of natural family planning, so much as an encouragement that spouses not hurt the other by stubbornly refusing sex. My interpretation is based on the inclusion in 1 Corinthians 7:5 of that one important concept: mutual agreement. Any mature marriage will necessarily go through some periods in which sex cannot be a daily (or hourly!) habit, depending on busy-ness, illness, care of small children, work trips or responsibilities, etc. So surely Paul is not saying here that it is inherently dangerous for the couple to refrain from sexual relations from time to time.

The concept of "on demand sex" is at odds with the practice of natural family planning, because on demand sex falsely elevates one spouse above the other, who is treated as an object. In contrast, the marriage enriched by the practice of mutual self-restraint calls the spouses to view each other as partners who are at least symbolically co-laboring on the work of building their family, by cooperating with their natures--whether the goal is to conceive a new child, or to avoid pregnancy, or even to accept whatever will come, but with 'eyes open' due to the awareness of the possibility of pregnancy (the vast majority of the time).

A word of encouragement: for those with spouses who are at the beginning of this journey of self-mastery--the practice of natural family planning, with its inherent encouragement to cooperate together with the natural rhythms of fertility and infertility (depending on your pregnancy intention) is quite beneficial in encouraging growth in self-control, if freely chosen by both parties. I repeat: it must be undertaken with mutual agreement (as Paul so wisely encourages). Properly understood, I believe that this passage from 1 Corinthians must not to be taken as a license for one spouse to demand sex from the other, but for both spouses to humble themselves to each other, as they grow together in learning to more perfectly express the language of physical intimacy.

Minnesota Mothers Need Breastfeeding Counselors for the First Three Months

12/8/2016

Is it the freezing cold that makes us hardier? Overall, Minnesota is quite a healthy state, especially for a Midwestern state. Compared to the rest of the country, we rank #1 in the nation for fewest days off for mental illness, and #3 for the fewest days off of work for physical illness. We are also #1 in the nation for fewest deaths from cardiovascular causes. Closer to the point, our babies are born at relatively higher birth weights than 45 other states, and we have a lower rate of infant mortality than many states (#12 in the nation). Only seven states have a better score for the fewest preterm births. (America's Health Rankings)

So it should come as no surprise with our great overall health and birth statistics that we also have relatively high overall breastfeeding rates. In 2016, mothers from Minnesota breastfed 90.1% of our babies at least once. Only 6 states have higher rates for ever-breastfed babies! While this is fabulous, there is still work to be done. While our exclusive breastfeeding rates at both three and six months are higher than the national average, it is still less than impressive that fewer than 1/3 of our babies (31.4%) are still exclusively breastfed at six months. Since many babies begin solids between the fourth and sixth month of age, this may not be particularly surprising. However, looking a bit earlier in life, just a little over half (53.9%) of Minnesota's babies are exclusively breastfed at a mere three months of age (CDC 2016 Breastfeeding Report Card), despite the fact that exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months provides most babies with the best start in life. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has been a relatively muted in its support for breastfeeding throughout its years, published a statement in 2012 recommending again that babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life.

Let's look at local numbers! How do our local breastfeeding rates compare with state-wide rates? Compared to the state as a whole, Washington County is very supportive of breastfeeding. Washington County Public Health and Environment announced in 2013 that it was designated a Breastfeeding Friendly Health Department. An estimated 88% of hospital-born babies are breastfeeding upon discharge from Washington County hospitals. While not all in Washington County, the three HealthEast hospitals (St. John's, St. Joseph's and Woodwinds) are all relatively close to Washington County, and all three have the Baby Friendly Hospital designation. While about 90% of these babies are being breastfed upon hospital discharge, only about 40% of babies are being exclusively breastfed upon discharge. So clearly there is work to be done encouraging mothers to exclusively breastfeed and supporting them so that they are able to exclusively breastfeed, especially through the first week of baby's life.

7.1% of children living in Washington County, MN (an estimated 4,900 children) live below the poverty line; and of Washington County residents as a whole, 7.6% are unable to get adequate food. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, as well as infants and children without food security who qualify based on household income may participate in the county WIC (Women, Infants & Children) Nutrition Program.

In 2014 (the latest year with complete information), there were 905 babies in Washington County who were participating in the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) Nutrition Program. Of these babies, an amazing 88.4% received some breastmilk, identical to the county statistics! By three months, the percentage of babies participating in the WIC Program who were receiving some breastmilk dropped to 44.8% -- half of the original number of breastfed babies.

Focusing even more locally (again in 2014) mothers of babies participating in WIC who resided in Lake Elmo, Stillwater, and Mahtomedi had impressive breastfeeding rates. 91.7% of the babies received some breastmilk, identical to the data from MN as a whole. 40.0% of the babies were still receiving some breastmilk at 3 months of age; 30.4% were still receiving some breastmilk at 6 months of age; and 23.0% were still receiving breastmilk at a year. As with Washington County mothers as a whole--locally, there is a drop of over half the number of breastfed babies in the first three months of life. After the first three months, breastfeeding rates continue to drop, but at a much slower pace.

A 2015 report about Minnesota mothers participating in WIC indicates that the most common predictors for weaning prior to 3 months include:

Receiving formula in the hospital
The mother has changed her mind about breastfeeding
The mother has concerns about milk supply
Medical concerns
Difficulties getting the baby latched to the breast

The report states that "breastfed infants fed formula were 144% more likely to have stopped breastfeeding by three months than those not receiving formula in the hospital." The report also revealed that in 2010, 50% of MN breastfed WIC babies received formula in the hospital. This is not good news!!

If baby received formula in the hospital, mother may assume the baby needs formula, or that it is just as good as breastmilk. While mothers will change their minds, it helps to stay the course if someone is supporting your original intention, and letting you know that while it may be difficult at first, breastfeeding does become much easier later on. Concerns about milk supply and getting baby latched are difficulties for which a trained breastfeeding counselor or lactation consultant can provide valuable assistance. Well-baby check-ups may not coincide with the time the mother is experiencing breastfeeding problems, and not all health care providers have the proper education and training to help breastfeeding mothers troubleshoot problems. Many mothers need help understanding how to make the transition from breastfeeding at home to the very different situation of providing baby with breastmilk after returning to work, a situation that often includes pumping or expressing her milk in less than ideal surroundings. Family and friends may not understand the importance of breastfeeding and may undermine her confidence or exert well-intentioned pressure to give formula. Mothers may not know that free breastfeeding support groups are available for help and support, or they may find it difficult to get to the support group on the day and time when it meets.

When I look at these statistics, for Minnesota as a whole, as well as for WIC participants, perhaps not surprisingly, my conclusion is that breastfeeding mothers need the MOST breastfeeding support during the first week (most will be discharged from the hospital within a week), but there is still a great need for support during the first three months of their babies' lives. This is why every mother who wants to breastfeed has a right to the support of a breastfeeding counselor. Breastfeeding counselors visit mothers at the hospital and make house calls, help mothers find solutions to breastfeeding difficulties so that they can reach their breastfeeding goals, and provide a consistent and easily accessible source of support and encouragement. If medical concerns about the baby or breastfeeding issues prove complex, the breastfeeding counselor is trained to refer the mother to a lactation consultant or other health care professional. The breastfeeding counselor has time to devote to the mother-baby that is difficult to find elsewhere.

Every mother has a right to a breastfeeding counselor at least for the first three months of her baby's life. How can we make that happen?

"Welcome to 'Succeed When You Breastfeed'" video

7/23/2016

I had so much fun making this new video! For mothers taking the Succeed When You Breastfeed FREE online course for mothers, I created this "Welcome" video in which I share a bit of the story of my breastfeeding journey, as well as the 4 Breastfeeding Boosters! If you are intrigued, sign up below for St. Croix Birth & Parenting's newsletter, Currents, and receive a link to the "Succeed When You Breastfeed" course!

Introducing Christelle's "How Can I Succeed When I Breastfeed?" Video

7/20/2016

I am so excited to share my new breastfeeding video! In the video I introduce the viewer to St. Croix Birth & Parenting's Breastfeed {Naturally} community and BfN's FREE online course for mothers preparing to breastfeed that I developed this summer, called "Succeed When You Breastfeed." The SWYB course is jam-packed with great natural mama info--I am so proud of it! My first students are joining the course now, and I couldn't be more pleased. Check out my video--and let me know what you think! Sign up for our newsletter, Currents, if you're interested in getting a link to "Succeed When You Breastfeed."

5 Great Father's Day 2016 Gift Ideas

6/14/2016

If you're anything like me, Father's Day may well be one of the harder shopping events of the year. Dad probably doesn't need another tie or coffee mug, right?! Here are 5 quick and useful Father's Day gift ideas!

1. A personalized ice cream bowl

If the dad(s) in your life are anything like my husband, this hearty ice cream bowl is something he will use...and often! And with customization, he can legitimately claim every last scoop for himself. 32 ounce ice cream bowl for $24.98 (+shipping). Sweet!

2. Fire Essentials Bundle ($15 off with this Father's Day special!)

If you think Dad would rather feed his mind than his waistline, this Father's Day deal is one you should definitely check out. (And bonus--the light-weight tablet makes it easier for the two of you to watch movies together after the kids are asleep!) Includes a Fire tablet with a 7" display, Amazon case, and Nupro screen protector. Sold separately, this bundle costs $87.97--marked down to $62.87 for Father's Day.

3. Black & Decker NLP1800 Alligator Lopper 18-Volt Cordless Chain Saw

For the Dad who likes to keep his yard looking neat, this tool will be an unexpected treat. Black & Decker's NLP1800 is so unique and helpful, you'll have a hard time keeping yourself from "borrowing" it. The NLP1800 Alligator Lopper is a cordless lopper with two "alligator" jaws that grasp both sides of a small trunk or limb and gnaw through it from both sides. No need to use a heavier (and more dangerous) chain saw for these smaller jobs around the yard, and easier on the body than manual loppers. The cordless version is $96.98.
(There is something wrong with the listing, so I could only post a link to the B& D alligator loppers with a cord. Compare features and reviews with the cordless version!) All Black & Decker tools and products are $10 off of a $50 or more purchase on Amazon through June 19th. So place your order soon!

4. The Man Pack at Pure Haven Essentials

To treat the hard-working Dad in your life, why not give him The Man Pack?! If he gets a few nicks or cuts during his labors, the Boo Boo Stick will help them heal--quickly. (And you can use the Boo Boo Stick on the kids' or grandkids' owies too!) After his hard day of work, the woman he loves can soothe his aching muscles with a nice back massage using a blend of Pure Haven Essential's Jojoba Oil and Cedarwood Essential Oil--and after a stressful day, diffuse Sweet Orange Essential Oil to lift his spirits. He can keep his beard moisturized and nourished with Pure Haven Essential's Beard Balm, containing organic sunflower seed oil, organic beeswax, organic olive oil, organic mango seed butter, organic jojoba oil, organic cocoa butter, organic grapeseed oil, and essential oils of sage and lime. (Yum!) Pure Haven Essential's Aftershave and Moisturizer naturally soothes razor burn and moisturizes his skin. You will find these products at the Pure Haven Essentials website in the categories for Men's Essentials (Beard Balm & Aftershave and Moisturizer); Kid's Essentials (Boo Boo Stick); and Oil Essentials (Jojoba Oil & Sweet Orange and Cedarwood essential oils). If you need help, let me know! I can place your order for you. $78.70 plus shipping and tax for the entire Man Pack

5. A Coleman 8-Person Instant Tent (14' x 10')

If you'd rather persuade Dad to get some exercise, put away his screens, put down his tools, and have some fun, this Coleman 8 person Instant Tent is a fine way to encourage him to take the whole family* into the great outdoors. Easy to set up and take down. Large windows for ventilation. Room inside for 2 queen airbeds, or 8 people in sleeping bags. You can even divide this tent into two rooms for privacy! This sturdy tent is almost half price! The list price is $309.99, on a whopping big sale on Amazon right now for $178.49. What a fabulous way to get set up for your summer adventures!

*(If you've got more than 8 people in your family--buy two tents!)

The St. Croix
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Christelle J. K. Hagen, HCHD, ICI is a certified birth doula, certified Baby Signs instructor, perinatal loss doula, fertility educator, and the President and Founder of St. Croix Birth & Parenting. Christelle helps mothers develop strategies to get pregnant naturally, give birth with confidence, and succeed when they breastfeed!

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