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Now taking registration for the upcoming series of Childbirth Education Classes!

Class dates:  March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18, 25; May 2, 9  from 6:30-9 each week

See the "Childbirth Education" tab (above) for more info or click on "Register" (above) to get signed up now!

Moments that Matter

What will you remember about nursing your baby?

The milk-drunk smile

Wide eyes eagerly watching you

Their warm little body snuggled next to yours

Little fingers touching you

Gulps and swallows as the tummy fills

Watching wrinkly feet turn plump over the first few weeks

Seeing those chubby thigh rolls and knowing it’s pure nutrition from your milk

Comforting a sad or sick baby

Contentment

…and so much more!

As new moms, we spend countless moments nursing our babies. At times, it may feel like it will never end and can even be overwhelming when exhaustion sets in. Like everything else with kids, though, before you know it your child will be grown up and no longer nursing. What will you remember?

We have this incredible bond, this incredible gift, that is breastfeeding. Whether for 2 days or 2 years, the time spent breastfeeding your child is so special. For some, it comes easily. For others, they have to fight through one struggle after another.  Regardless, the moments shared between mom and baby are special and deserve to be remembered.

So much of a newborn’s life is spent eating, but if you are like most moms, you don’t have any pictures to remember this special time together.

Enter Timbra Wiist, of Landslide Photography. Her specialty is nursing photography. I met Timbra in her role as the leader of the Murray group of La Leche League. I was then introduced to her photography skills at Latch on America, a breastfeeding event in the summer of 2011. My first daughter was about 9 months old at the time and I was running a booth about my childbirth education classes. Timbra was taking nursing portraits. She took a couple of shots of us together and I chose my favorite to keep. At the time, she offered to let me purchase the other  images, but I declined, thinking to myself, “If I want to pay for pictures, I’ll make sure and do it on a day when I’ve done my hair, I’m not so sweaty, etc.”

  

 Now I wish I could go back and get those images! I didn’t get it—photography isn’t only about creating an image of what you wished you look like…it’s about capturing a moment in time to remember. The great thing about professional photography is that it captures that moment in a flattering, but not fake, way.  Now that little baby is a full-fledged “big girl” (according to her) and recently became a big sister, which made her look SO much bigger than she ever had before.  I love her toddler-self. She’s hilarious, adventurous, creative, and loving.  As much as I love who she is at this moment, I realize I can never go back to the time she was smaller- only through memories, and photography helps to capture those memories.  I also love that nursing portraits show how normal, loving, and important it is to nurse your baby.  So, when Timbra said she’d like to do a giveaway to let one lucky reader have a photo session with her, I was eager to share that chance with you!

Let me share part of my interview with Timbra, so you can get to know her and her work a bit more. The responses in italics are her words, although I have edited for length and relevance.

Tell me about yourself.

I grew up in Northern California and lived there until moving to TX after high school, for a year, where I met my husband.   I am a wife and the mother of 2 little girls.  One was born in Fiji, the other here in Utah.  I am a La Leche League Leader, lactivist and this year I will be the Chairwoman for the Breastfeeding Cafe in SLC, for the second time (the first in 2011).  in 2011 I took on the role of Girl Scout Leader as well.  I absolutely love the water and the ocean.  

Tell me a little about your background in photography.

I have always enjoyed taking photos.  I think I got my first camera when I was 10.  It used 110 film, that long skinny film with the two little reels on either end :)  And I upgraded several times after that.  Through high school I traveled to the South Pacific several times and LOVED photographing children on those trips.  Living in Fiji in 2000, I really started enjoying photographing people and the interest in photographing people and my travels caught fire.  I spent 2 years studying photography, particularly photojournalism, event and portrait photography.  I have combined these styles of photography in my own work, a mix of "lifestyle," and formal portraiture.  My favorite subjects these days are my kids.  

Why do you specialize in nursing/newborn photography?

When I started out in photography, I REALLY loved wedding photography, my business was just getting off the ground in California when we moved out of the country.  When we returned to the US and relocated to Utah, wedding photography was a very difficult avenue to gain much ground in.  I did a few family sessions here and there, but after becoming a La Leche League leader and later working with the Breastfeeding Cafe in Salt Lake City, I became really excited about nursing portraiture.  I feel that my excitement surrounding photography has followed my own life path and while I still REALLY love event/wedding photography and find it to be quite thrilling, as I've become a mother I've come to enjoy documenting pregnancy, infancy, breastfeeding and childhood just as much, if not more so.

Describe a typical photo session.

A nursing portrait session generally goes pretty quickly.  A newborn nursing baby pretty much just nurses and nurses and it's easy to get several lovely photos.  An older nursling can be easily distracted, playful or sometimes frustrated about someone invading a nursing session. I try to stand back and let the child cuddle with mama for a bit then step in again when things seem more natural and comfortable, but these sessions also go quickly, because any little one over about 6 months old is generally interested in one way or another, in the big black box that has become part of the session :)  I think nursing portraits are great in someone's house, in the "usual" nursing spot, but they can be fun in parks and other pretty places too.  For other sessions?  With families, I know how it is to be the mom who spent months looking for coordinating outfits and hours trying to make sure no one fell and broke their nose that day leading up to photos, and how frustrating it can be when little ones decide they will just NOT comply and "smile nicely for the camera" (which is pretty much EVERY family I've ever photographed).  I try to remind families that I'm photographing their REAL family and real families don't all sit together and smile at the camera at the same time.  If someone is looking for a regal portrait to hang over the mantle, maybe I'm not your gal, but if you're wanting some photos that really capture your family in THIS moment, then that's what I seek to do.  And sometimes that means one child is off by him/herself, or someone's picking their nose or rolling their eyes. . .whatever it is, it's real!

What would you say to people who are unsure if they are comfortable with nursing portraits?

Nursing portraits are really intimate.  Some people are worried that nursing portraits will expose too much but are pleasantly surprised with the result of modest and beautiful photos that capture the essence of the breastfeeding relationship they have with their little ones.  The beauty of nursing portraits, particularly, is that you don't have to "do" anything, except that which you already do.  I have even gone to homes of new families requesting newborn photos and when baby decides to nurse, asked if the mother would like some photos, a mother who had NEVER thought of nursing portraits before, and later been told that she was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful result, namely because she pictured herself much differently when nursing.  The photos will reflect your feelings and personality within your nursing relationship, which will be different for every mother/child pair (triad).

Anything else you'd like to share?

Very often I have had women in my life say they wish they'd gotten maternity photos.  I have three photos of my first daughter nursing between birth and one month and none again until she was nearly TWO!  A few months after she turned 2, I embarked on nursing portraits as my niche.  I am remiss that I do not have more photos of her nursing, because it was a HUGE part of my every day mothering for the first years of her life, and most certainly for those early months.  Even if you decide not to have portraits done . . .  take some photos!  Sometimes we feel worried about how our bodies look rounded, awaiting babies, or nursing them and nurturing them, not quite back to our "fighting" pre-mother weight, but I hope that the photos I take, will reflect back to mothers that their bodies are doing AMAZING things, growing humans (in different stages) and that this will be what they see when their photos are returned to them.  

I love that Timbra “gets it” and has totally been there! She is in a beautiful place to use her talent to help new moms capture the moments that matter.

So here’s what you can win:

It's a 30 minute, on location session with 3 high resolution digital negatives of choice, a $65 value.

And here’s how you win:

Leave a comment on this blogpost about what you’ll remember about your nursing experience (or why you think nursing photography is a cool idea!). We’ll randomly pick one commenter to win the session. In order to win, you must also be a fan of Birth Utah and Landslide Photography on Facebook. You will be contacted by email.

CONTEST ENDS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 at Midnight MST. Winner will be contacted by Monday, Feb 11 and announced on Facebook. 

Fine Print: This promotion is only featured by Birth Utah, but the giveaway is solely from Landslide Photography. They are responsible for coordinating with the winner to redeem the prize. It is not in any way sponsored by Facebook. One entry per person, regardless of how many times you comment. J

Maggie's Birth Story

Disclaimer: There is no way to put the experience of giving birth into words. It's indescribable. However, I think it is very important to try to put the memory into words to preserve it. Every detail sticks out to me- that's why this is so long. :) 

Lovely. If there was one word to describe Maggie’s birth experience, that’s the word I would choose. Granted, there were moments of great intensity (more on that later), but now, nearly 2 weeks later, when I reflect on the experience, the overwhelming feeling is just how lovely and enjoyable the whole thing was!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013 I went to bed pretty early and slept well for hours. At 2:30am I woke up to go to the bathroom and was too uncomfortable to go back to sleep. Afraid this was just another in a long series of false alarms, I decided not to wake my husband, Jonny, but tried to rest on the couch, distracting myself by watching a show. At 4:30am, the contractions started to get more intense than they had in the days before.  Instead of just pressure and tightening, they actually felt like they were creating change in my body. I was thrilled, but tried not to get myself over-excited in case they stopped again. I woke Jonny and he helped me work through contractions as I swayed on the birth ball while he reviewed laboring position videos from ibirth. We lit candles and went back to relaxing on the couch.  At that point, the contractions seemed to slow a bit, and I was so scared they would stop. At ten days past my due date, I was ready for real labor! The contractions didn’t stop, and I tried to embrace each one, welcome the intensity and ask for more. As I had been with my first labor, I was in complete awe of what my body was doing on its own.

At 6:30am, our two year old little girl, Molly, woke up, hours before she would usually wake up! She wanted “milk-side” (morning nursing), which turned out to be very effective in increasing the consistency and intensity of my contractions. We then stayed in bed with her for almost an hour, cuddling and enjoying what we realized might be our last time with her as our only little girl. Finally, I decided I needed to get out of bed to cope with the contractions and we got up to make breakfast.

Around 7:30am we sent Molly across the street to our wonderful neighbors’ house to play with her friends. She was so excited to get to go play with them that she wasn’t sad to leave us at all, but I remember giving her a big hug and thinking about how grown-up she was getting.

Molly stayed at their house for about two hours until we decided that these contractions were probably turning into real labor. The pattern wasn’t always consistent, but they weren’t stopping. In between, I would doubt that it was actual labor, but then a contraction would knock my socks off! We called Molly’s  grandparents to come pick her up for the rest of the day (or however long labor took). They brought us food and took Molly home with them.

We continued to enjoy laboring together, using the birth ball, the bed, the bathroom, the kitchen counters (loved the height and stability of the kitchen counter- it was ideal!), etc. Around noon we let the midwife know that we thought we’d need her to come, but not for a little while still. We ended up having her come around 2:45pm, which was when the snowstorm really started. It was so nice not to have to worry about driving anywhere as the snow came down harder and harder.

When Rebecca, our midwife, arrived, she set up her supplies, took my vitals, listened to the baby, and helped fill our birth pool. The contractions were still manageable, but felt very productive. In between contractions I was able to enjoy chatting with Jonny and Rebecca. I was still excited to be in labor, but had to work a bit more to relax through contractions.  At some point, Rebecca offered to give me an herbal mixture (cohosh)or break my water to encourage things along faster, but I felt like everything was happening at just the right speed and I wanted to let my body do what it was going to do as long as things were going well. In the end, I was able to birth my baby with no interventions- I didn’t even have vaginal exams because everything was going well and I didn’t feel like it would be helpful/necessary. I felt so fortunate to be supported by Jonny and Rebecca, who both trusted my body, the birth process, and kept a watchful eye on us for safety. I knew in their hands I didn’t have to worry but could totally give in to what my body was doing.

Around 4:30 or 5pm, I got in the birth pool and the warm water felt amazing. The contractions seemed to spread out just a little bit, but were very intense when they came on. I started to feel pressure and knew that before too long I’d be ready to push. After one more trip to the bathroom, I settled again into the tub and started to feel a bit “pushy” through contractions. I started talking aloud to my baby, letting her know that I was ready to meet her, and I was ready to be DONE…done with pregnancy and done with labor, that I just wanted to hold her and be done.  This is where I got pretty pathetic..and pretty noisy J. 

The power of the contractions overwhelmed me and my “mama bear” instincts came out as I roared through the last few pushing contractions. My bag of waters burst at 5:57pm as I pushed and I felt a gush into the water and a bit of relief from the pressure. That moment of relief was followed quickly by another incredibly powerful contraction and I hit that moment when I wasn’t sure I could handle it any more- and then all in one motion, at 5:59pm, our perfect daughter was born into the water.  It happened so fast I don’t even remember her crowning- it was just over in an instant and there she was!

I was so overwhelmed as I went to pick her up I didn’t realize I was kneeling on her cord, so I had to reposition myself and I sat back as I lifted her out of the water to my chest. Her cord was pretty short, so she just barely reached my chest. I held her in the water with a warm towel and her daddy and I just admired her and told her how happy we were to meet her. It was just such a lovely, perfect moment. Her eyes were closed, so we turned off the lights and she opened them to look up at us. She snuggled right into my chest and immediately attempted to latch on.

Meanwhile, Rebecca was unobtrusively checking the baby (all while I was holding her). Everything checked out wonderfully. After the cord was done pulsing, Rebecca clamped it and Jonny cut it. Since the placenta wasn’t delivering quite yet, I moved to the bed to continue to nurse the baby, who we’d decided to name Maggie until the placenta delivered.

We were thrilled to announce Maggie’s arrival and sent out messages to our families of her arrival. I was able to take a wonderful shower and get all settled in my own bed! Rebecca got me all set up and did the newborn exam on Maggie. She had all the indicators of a 40 week baby, which made me glad we hadn’t tried to induce before she was ready.

Rebecca finished and left around 9pm (taking all the supplies with her- you couldn’t tell we had a baby in our living room!) and Molly’s grandparents (who had braved the stormy weather and slick roads) brought her back around 9:30pm. Molly was so excited to meet her little sister! It was a special moment for our little family. We all ate some food and went to bed (well, as much as you do with a newborn…we were awake half the night, but were so happy to gaze at our little girl that we didn’t mind being awake). 

Winter due date?? Fall class announcement

If you are expecting a baby this winter (December or later), now is the time to reserve your spot in the fall childbirth education class series. Classes will start the first week of October and end the first week of December. Click on the "classes" tab above for more information!

Birthing Our Home

Fall of 2010, I gave birth to a precious little girl who fills my life with joy.  A year later (almost to the day!), fall of 2011, we purchased our first home. I have spent months contemplating the similarities between those two events, drawing parallels, and trying to decide which was harder!

Like most young couples, we had a pretty limited budget for our home, and we liked a certain geographical area, which made our search even harder. In the end, we felt very blessed to find a home with plenty of space in a very welcoming neighborhood. That said, the home was a short sale, and it needed a lot of work. Taking this old house and making it ours felt like giving birth to a home! (complete with early labor's excitement, active labor's hard work, transition's tears...)

Here are a few of the parallels I've found between these two valuable experiences:

Evaluate your expectations- As we began the home search, my husband and I learned a lot about ourselves and our preferences. My family moved many times growing up, and we always ended up in new houses in newer neighborhoods. Not surprisingly, when my husband and I looked at newer houses, they automatically "felt better" to me. My husband's family lived in slightly older homes, and he fell in love with the ramblers and split-level homes that reminded him of his enjoyable growing-up years. Both new homes and old homes come with advantages and disadvantages- one is not necessarily inherently better, just different. After we recognized our differing views and acknowledged them openly, it made our search go much more smoothly (and neither of us felt attacked if we didn't automatically agree because we had a better understanding of each other). In the end, compromises helped us find something that felt right to both of us!

When considering a birth location/care provider, couples should consider how their backgrounds and experiences will play into that decision. What are your ideas about birth? How does your family feel about birth- do they regard it as a natural, exciting process or one of impending medical catastrophe?

Perhaps one partner comes from a family where home birth is common. This person will most likely feel safer and more comfortable birthing at home. If the other partner has only ever experienced hospital birth (especially crazy dramatized t.v. hospital birth), that person may not be sure how to feel about an out-of-hospital birth. There are advantages and disadvantages to birth at a hospital, birth center or home- it is important that each partner addresses their specific goals, concerns, and feelings.

Take time to become educated about your options, talk about it, and make the best decision for your situation!

Know when to accept help- In the beginning of the moving process, I was so organized, and I enjoyed packing the boxes! In the last days and hours, though, I knew there was no way I could finish on my own. Exhaustion had set in. I allowed family and friends to see my most embarrassing messes as they so willingly helped us get out of our apartment on time. One friend (who has two small children) came over for a few hours on Halloween afternoon to scrub my bathrooms so we could turn in our keys that night. I had never let her past my living room before! We are much closer friends today (hey, once someone has scrubbed your dirty toilet, you don't feel quite as self conscious around them anymore!).

In birth and new parenthood, it can be tempting to want to only let people see you at your very best. It is important, though, to know when to accept help...and to recognize that by letting the right people help you, you will be strengthening important relationships. If you're in labor and your partner is too far from home, call that friend to drive you to your birth place! When a neighbor offers to bring in a meal, don't worry about if the house is clean- accept their offer and get some much-needed rest. If you have the courage to admit to another mom that you're not sure if you are doing it right, they will probably tell you they felt the same way! We aren't made to do this alone...

Stick to your guns We have wonderful, exceedingly helpful extended family members. We also found great contractors, workers, etc. to help with our home. Along with great work came a LOT of suggestions- everyone had a vision of how our house could turn out. We were grateful for the suggestions, and we took many of them, but in the end, we knew we had to be responsible for the decisions we made for our house.
We were glad we said no to some of those suggestions...or maybe just "not now."

The same goes for birth (birth plans, anyone?). As a couple, research and learn about your choices in childbirth. Talk to those you respect and hear about their experiences, but don't bend to pressure to do something you aren't comfortable with. It's okay to say, "Thanks for that idea. I appreciate your input. If I have any questions about that, I'll ask you. We've decided that _____ is best for us."  Then, be flexible, and re-evaluate if your situation changes.

Baby Steps We've concluded that even if we worked day and night for months on end, our house will never be "finished." There will always be another project. We can choose to focus on the cracked driveway, or we can enjoy family time in our beautiful home while we save up for more repairs. :-) We've chosen to  make a long-term goal list and ENJOY our little girl and our fun house!


It can be tempting with a baby to want everything just right, right now. I especially see this in "sleeping through the night" and reaching milestones (crawling, walking, etc.). You can choose to be frustrated by your baby's lack of ability, or you can hold them close, take a mental picture, and enjoy the fleeting moments. Soon enough...soon enough...


Understand that someday life will return to normal (and you will get to shower!) We decided we needed to paint our entire house (ceilings, walls, trim...everything)...in addition to having lots of other work done. Luckily, we had two weeks where we could live in our old apartment at night and work on the new house during the day. Every morning, as soon as I woke up, I would throw on some old clothes and had over to the new house to start working. Late at night, we'd return home to the apartment and totally crash. My "breaks" were running to the paint store or grabbing some food. I hoped the paint stains on my clothes were enough explanation for why I was out in the middle of the day in sweats with unkempt hair and no makeup, looking like I hadn't slept in days!

In those first days (weeks, months?!) after birth, when those pre-pregnancy clothes don't fit yet and the days and nights are a blur, living in sweatpants and never leaving the house can be totally normal. For those days, it is important to remember that this stage is only temporary...and as soon as you are able,  a shower and some matching clothes can go a long ways towards making you feel human again! (Buying a few pairs of normal clothes in my postpartum size was so worth it!).

It just keeps getting better...and harder...and better We have now accomplished many of the projects on the original home improvement "To Do" list. We love our home and the work we've put into it has really paid off. For each item we accomplish, though, it seems we discover something else that needs to be repaired, replaced, or updated.  Then, we take a deep breath and remember how much we love the space we have and our nice neighborhood. In the last few weeks, flowers we didn't know existed burst from the ground and have started to bloom. What a gorgeous special surprise!

The first few weeks with a new baby are amazing...and entirely exhausting. Then your little baby starts to smile, to babble, to roll over, and you think, "It doesn't get better than this!" That precious little baby soon learns to get into everything and goes through a cranky teething stage. For each rough spot, parents are rewarded with sweet moments and fun surprises. Our little girl is about one and a half and she is SO funny and super adorable! It just keeps getting better (the challenges are totally worth it).

So now you know why I haven't posted much over the last several months!

I am so grateful for my sweet little girl...and grateful for our wonderful home to live in. The things in life that take the most work are the ones we enjoy the most, right??

Have you found parallels between childbirth and other experiences in life?

New Beginnings

Becoming a mom is a life-changing event in innumerable ways. Through giving birth and raising a child, often a woman rediscovers who she is and what matters to her!

 With new beginnings come new opportunities. I am grateful that my daughter’s birth started me on the path of becoming a childbirth educator, which I absolutely love and am passionate about. However, before my pregnancy, I never would have considered it!

This week, I met a remarkable lady who had a somewhat similar discovery. Michelle Hoyles was living near Portland when her first son was born. A friend gave her a gift certificate, as a shower gift, for a custom artwork of her baby’s handprint and footprint. After her son was born, Michelle had the artwork made and it become a cherished piece of their family history.

Fast forward a few years. Michelle, now living in the Salt Lake area, had a second son. She wanted to have another piece of artwork made, this time with her second baby’s prints, so she could display them together. Michelle began looking for an artist to do the impression for her. However, she was frustrated in her search and couldn’t find anyone who offered the product she was looking for.

As a former elementary school teacher with an art minor, Michelle saw this void as an opportunity. She decided to go back to Portland to train in this art method. When she came back, she continued to develop her technique and has since opened her own business, Impressions Clay Prints.

I was fortunate enough to visit Michelle’s home and studio and see her in action. Her work is beautiful. She explained a bit about the process. First, she rolls out clay. This clay, she informed me, is totally safe and non-toxic, meaning that even preemie babies can have their impressions done. (What a keepsake that would be for those parents!)

Then, she masterfully takes the child’s prints (and if she could get a good print off my squirmy one-year-old, you know she has skill!). That’s all that’s required of you- just a few minutes.

The impression then gets placed in the kiln. After that, it is hand-painted and glazed.

The process of hand-painting just the actual handprint or footprint (or paw-print) is what really makes the piece special. It highlights every line and really makes the piece attractive. Some other businesses (or do-it-yourself kits) will do a handprint or footprint, but they glaze the entire thing, so the print isn’t visible from far away. Also, the process Michelle uses will create a lasting keepsake, instead of a piece that will crumble away over time, like plaster does.

To finish it off, Michelle paints the child’s (or animal’s) name and age, and adds a beautiful ribbon.

I love the idea of clay impressions, because it is a unique keepsake that both you and the child will treasure as time goes on. (And, unlike pictures, you don’t have to stress about your baby’s hairstyle or expression…or your remaining baby weight!).

Some of the options in creating your artwork- size, color, etc.

Cute little one-of-a-kind ornament!

Visiting with Michelle was such a good reminder to me that motherhood is something to be treasured. We should treasure these moments, because before we know it, the little tiny baby we adored is a toddler…or teenager! Hopefully, in the midst of fully appreciating our children, motherhood will allow each of us the opportunity to do a bit of rediscovery and appreciate our passions and talents!

How do you capture memories with your children? Photos, Artwork, Videos?

What have you discovered about yourself since becoming a mother? 

P.S. To find out more about Michelle's work, visit her website at http://www.impressionsclayprints.com. You can schedule an appointment for you or plan a group event (parties, preschools, etc.). She also offers gift certificates!

***GIVEAWAY! Michelle is giving away a $45 gift certificate to one lucky reader (use for yourself or give to someone as a wonderful gift!)


To enter, you must do these three simple things:


1) "Like" Birth Utah on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/BirthUtah (if you haven't already!)
2) "Like" Impressions Clay Prints on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Impressions-Clay-Prints/105407299547567 (if you haven't already)
3) Comment on this post, here on the blog, answering one (or both) of these questions above (in bold).
-Make sure you put your name, as it is on Facebook, when you comment on the blog.
-To comment, click at the bottom of the entry where it says "# comments" and it will open a comment box for you.


One entry per person! Enter now. Winner will be chosen on Wed, Dec. 21 (in time for Christmas!)

Due in 2012? Sign up today!

2012 seems far away when we haven't even reached Halloween yet, but it's just around the corner! I am now taking registrations for women with due dates in Feb 2012 or later....(click on the "childbirth classes" tab above for more info about classes). Sign up today!