Just about a year ago...

I gave birth to a beautiful human being... at home!

I can only describe the joy I felt just about a year ago when my son was born. I have always dreamt about having a boy - I had his name picked out since I learned that I was pregnant the first time, but obviously, she was a girl. Then of course, my second was also a girl so I gave up the idea of having a boy since I was not really planning on having anymore kids. We were really happy to have a nice family of four. My girls made me feel complete, they are my special pride!

Then I got pregnant again... with a boy!
I never imagined that I was going to birth at home, it was pretty bizarre to hear that many women were giving birth in their homes -- with a midwife! And you know what? I will never trade it for anything in the world!

What was I thinking before? Why didn't I try this with my girls? I was alive throughout my labor and delivery. I was able to experience a real birth without pain medications, without feeling numb! I did it - and I am so proud to tell it to the world... That I feel empowered by this amazing experience - to have given birth naturally to my precious boy! :-)

Where did the time go?

Roberto Carlos second week

He is doing wonderful and growing like weeds! :) Breastfeeding is going great and I have to brag about how well breastfeeding is always a great experience for me. Every time I get pregnant I look forward to breastfeeding... It's a unique relationship no one can take away from me or my child... My husband can't do it, nor my mom, no one but ME! Serena was breastfed only throughout her first 9 months of life, Sabrina was breastfed throughout her first 2 years of life! I am planning to breastfeed Robertico a little longer than 2 years, it just seems right to breastfeed! Human Milk for Human Babies ;)

I was going through my baby pictures (my daughter's) and found the picture of Newborn Sabrina and OMG realized that she and her brother look so much alike! Check this out:

Roberto Carlos

Ella Sabrina (as a newborn)

I haven't been able to do much internet lately but I do want to keep updating my blog with pictures of our new addition. I wish I had more time during the day but today we spent the whole day watching TV and (Roberto Carlos) sleeping in my chest... Can't get better than that! ;)

Here are a couple of pics I took for fun and because - did I say I am in love?

Robert Carlos is born... @ home!!!!!

August 4th. at 5:35 am. I lost a big chunk of my mucous plug and started filling up the pool at 5:50 am. Our midwife arrived at 6:50 and performed a prenatal check up. I was only dilated 3 cm. (one more from where I started). She left and advised to keep on with my daily routine. I decided to go into the pool to ease some of the discomfort, then went back to bed at 9:30 am, woke up to find more bloody strips in the toilet. Drank some red raspberry leaf tea and napped for an hour. Got up to fix some breakfast for myself and decided to go to the chiropractic to get an adjustment and pick up my weekly organic produce from my coop. At 2 pm came back home, took a shower after a short nap (5:13 pm), ate some turkey soup my mom made for labor and birth, watched a little TV while contractions getting stronger (8 pm)...

I decided to jump into the pool at 9:30 am, by midnight the contractions were getting 3 mins. apart and we decided to call Adriana (our midwife). By 3:30 am, Adriana checked my cervix and I was only 6-7 cm. dilated! I was suffering! Tired and dosing off between contractions so I asked her to be transferred to the bed so I can rest between each contraction. An hour later I told Adriana that I really needed to push, at this point I was screaming with the top of my lungs and moaning like never before, calling God and all the Angels on Earth and Heavens!!!!!!!!! She told me to go ahead and do what I wanted to do, so I pushed and the bag of waters exploded! I felt a mild relief since it was putting so much pressure in my crotch, I started to push even more because that's all I felt doing! I waited for another contraction and decided to leave it alone and thought that probably my uterus will push the baby on it's own but then realized that I really wanted to push again in the next one, just to get it over with!!!!! So I pushed, and pushed (I yelled many times: IT'S BURNING!!!!!) and pushed 3 more times and Roberto Carlos was born!!!!!! (5 am)

He came out SLEEPING!!!!!! He was such a lazy beautiful boy... I delivered my placenta half an hour later... As soon as the mw cleaned him up, we put him at the breast and he breastfed for so long that I wasn't even able to time it, but he did each breast twice - back and forth! He is a little piggy!

I thought I was going to pass out or give up, it hurt yes, but it was SO WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weight: 8.5 lbs.
Height: 22 inch. long
Apgar Score: 10/10
Time: 5 am @ Home!!!!!!!

Still waiting and pretty round...

I have been very very bad with this... not so chatty lately I guess! I been on and off the computer, my parents are here visiting from Panama and I am still pregnant :) I LOVE BEING PREGNANT! Except for a stupid rash I got that lasted a little over 2 weeks, and THANK GOODNESS I was able to manage it with a miracle soap called Grandpa's Tar Soap then applying Gold Bond Medicated lotion over it. It was a God sent! I was showering with cold water twice a day with the soap, then I would apply the lotion to avoid dryness and the menthol effect was just refreshing and so much needed! Well, the rash is gone and now I am enjoying myself once again! woohoo! (phewwwwwww). In a couple of days, I'll be 37 weeks pregnant. The baby moves so much, he is extremely rough with mommy but I love every single bit of it ;)

Just about 2-3 weeks ago, we went to Orlando, visited Universal and Island of Adventure parks. It wasn't such a great trip but I did enjoy a bit, except the stupid rash (lol). It rained e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y in the afternoons, ugh! But at least we were able to enjoy 5 days of the 2 parks without the rush, crowd and hotness of the summer, the rain helped a lot. The walking also helped me to bring baby down a bit, you can probably see my belly 'facing' down in this picture.

I got the 'Baby Area' in our room ready for the baby, yay! :) I am very excited to start breastfeeding all over again and to co-sleep with the new baby. Co-sleeping has done many great things in our family. It's a great way to keep our family attached and to nurture a strong connection between us. I believe that every newborn or baby should be sleeping in the same bedroom as the parents, specially the mother. We love our 'Family Bed' and we will love to keep it that way until our kids decide on their own to sleep in their own beds. Read a little about Nighttime Parenting in this website. We have been practicing Attachment Parenting for many years now (pretty much since my second daughter was born) and the connection that we have built in our family is extremely rewarding. Our kids are amazingly well behaved and they do the impossible to pleased us and make us happy, or viceversa. AP is a parenting style where ALL family members treat each other with respect and kindness, regardless the age. Check out their website for more info.

The girls are so happy to be receiving the new baby and they have promised me to help me with everything including changing diapers! lol! I can't hardly wait to see THAT! But everyday, they both kiss my belly and tell me how much they love their baby brother, so sweet.

Here is a funny cartoon I wanted to share, I found it somewhere in the internet some time now but I saved it in my computer because I thought it was so cute and just reminded me of our own family! heehee!

Decisiones to make for my Baby Boy - No a la circuncisión!

Cliquea aqui para: Dile NO a la Circuncisión (en Español)!

So I have finally won the battle :) I am so happy to announce that our baby boy will not be circumcised! I have done my research, and I am opposed to have my baby go through such a horrible experience... There is NO indication that a circumcision NEEDS to be done. There are no legitimate medical reasons for circumcision. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics says circumcision is not essential! My husband would NOT watch circumcision videos because he knows how disturbing they could be, so why should I do this to my own child! We had a long but friendly/loving talk about this subject and we have agreed to skip this procedure, stop the cycle and let my son be intact!

I know some of these practices are done for religious purposes, but I am not a Muslin nor Jewish. I am a Christian-Catholic and I will do what is best for my child as a Christian-Catholic.

There are TEN BAD REASONS TO CIRCUMCISED YOUR SON:
(taken from http://www.associatedcontent.com)

It Looks Bigger
One thing that some people believe about circumcision is that a circumcised penis will look bigger. Risking a 2-10% chance of medical complications so your son can have the illusion that he has a larger penis is just not justifiable. When your son is older and if he feels that he would like to create this illusion, which isn't necessarily true, he can make that decision. There is no need, if there is ever a need, to have a larger looking penis when you are a child, or for that matter an infant.

It is More Aesthetically Pleasing
This is a personal opinion. Truth is, it is likely that when people are actually going to be examining your son's penis with the intent to view it as potentially being pleasing to the eye it will be erect. Therefore if you are worried about loose skin, which isn't the case anyway, hanging from the tip of the penis when it is not erect don't worry the only people who will see that is yourself, when your son is an infant and child, and your son. If it truly bothers your son he can make the decision when he is older to circumcise himself.

It is Less Sensitive and Therefore the Sex Life of Your Son's Future Partner will be More Enjoyable
There is no reason to make decisions when your son is an infant that will affect the sex life of his partner. Every individual is going to be different in bed and some men intact and circumcised may climax earlier then others. With this kind of thinking you are ultimately saying that you are circumcising your son so he will not enjoy sex to the fullest potential.

It Will Be Easier to Clean
A circumcised penis is exposed to everything that it comes in contact with. If you have ever changed a diaper, one that is full of poop, you will know that poop does not stay in the rear section of the diaper, it gets over everything. While a circumcised penis is healing it is constantly being exposed to urine and feces. When an intact infant boy poops in his diaper you still have to make sure that you wipe off all of the poop on his penis but you can do it a lot easier. Your son's penis will not be sore because he did not have minor surgery on it. Once your son is older he can retract his foreskin, something that happens naturally and should be done the first time by the owner of the penis, all he needs to do is pull back his foreskin and rinse that area. Something that is going to take less then a minute.

It Will Look Like the Other Boys in the Locker Room
As a woman I will be honest in saying that in the locker room I don't remember that there were ever any comparisons of reproductive organs and from all of the men that I have asked about the matter, both circumcised and intact, said that they never saw or experienced a conversation like that either.

It Will Look Like His Father's
Not really. Infant penises are hairless and that will be the biggest difference that your son will notice if he sees his father's penis, and of course the size.

My Brothers Were Circumcised
Nothing against your parents, they were doing what they were educated to do, however in this generation a lot more medical evidence has proven that times have changed and circumcising isn't medically necessary.

Your Son Will Develop a Complex for Being Different
Once again as a woman I can vouch for myself not having these feelings but I can say the all of the intact men that I know and have asked about this matter say that they do not at all fill insecure about their intact penis.

I Believe That it is Medically Healthy
It is hard to know exactly what is medically correct, between friends and family you may get told a little of why you should circumcise and why you shouldn't. That is why is is always a good idea to do research when making a medical decision. I guarantee that you will find that a circumcised penis is not medically healthier than an intact penis.

The Doctor Said To
As much as I would love to say that we can trust all doctors and what ever a doctor says is going to be the right thing, I can't. My doctor told me that he didn't like his patients to go past 38 weeks in pregnancy, but it didn't mean that inducing at 38 weeks is medically the right thing to do. Remember, research is the only way that you can know for sure what is the right thing to do about anything.

When your son grows up he most likely will not have a reason to get circumcised, but if he wants to make that decision it is best that he is the one making it as an adult and not his parents while he is an infant and without his consent!

Taking a break from work...

I haven't been blogging, shame on me! But I promise to write more... or at least, will try... Some of you may not know yet but... I AM PREGNANT AGAIN!

We are expecting a Baby Boy!!! We are all excited for the news and honestly so glad to be back at home with my 3 year old... I have been really busy getting ready for this baby, now I have a new hobby: Sewing and Crocheting LOL!!!! yeah... just like grandma! This baby boy is driving me nutsy, I am so in love with him already and he is making me create all kinds of pretty things for him. I been sewing my heart out that I have decided to make a new blog just about handmade stuff: HandmadeSisters.blogspot.com. Come and visit one of these days and see what I am up to :)

I will be updating this blog about the progress of my pregnancy. This time around I am doing a homebirth - a water homebirth!!! So stay tuned for more news...