Product Review: Beaba, Baby Cook

Beaba, Baby Cook. This is how I make all of Sophia's food. I love it! First of all, I have peace of mind that it prepares properly because it was created for this one specific reason. Secondly, it is light and compact. I keep it in the box and pull it out once or twice a week. I make the food in bulk, so I don't need to use it every day. Also, it cooks, purees, defrosts and reheats. Most people recommend a food processor or the magic bullet, but those products only puree. Who has time for the extra steps. It is available at William-Sonoma with a beautiful cook book for $149. I highly recommend buying this product. The holidays are coming. You may want to purchase it for someone special who has a little angel of their own.

PUSH

Vicki grabbed my feet, told me to take a cleansing breath, then she said it. "Deep breath in and push!" Before I knew it, I was pushing. It was so empowering. In an instant I was in a place no one else could be. My breath was strong, my legs were limber and my baby was coming. There is no way pushing can be described, so all I can say is that giving birth vaginally is the most amazing experience ever.

After three pushes, my doctor was in and shocked. He couldn't believe how quickly things progressed. I looked up to ask him how long he thought it would take, and his response was, "I don't like being hot." At that moment I realized he was all suited up with his "garb". After watching nine months of a baby story I knew this was minutes away. Breathing and pushing was my only memory. It was easier yet harder than I thought it would be. The only time I entered back into reality was when I felt IT! I could feel the snipping of scissors. The cutting had began, but more about that later. I caught my mother's eye and she was jumping out of her skin and shaking her head yes. Suddenly I knew I was nearing the end. She gave me that last push to push. Like a champ, I gave two more pushes and Sophia was born!

That moment...that moment is like none other. When they put my daughter on my chest my whole world changed. From the trauma of birth, infants are wide awake. Her yes locked on mine and I became a new woman. She was gorgeous. No real cries, just blue eyes, a tiny mouth, a button nose and lots of love. I was a mom. No more pushing or cutting, just me and my daughter.

Birth is a gift!

Simplicity Bassinet

Last night Jeff put together the baby's bassinet. I must admit, I love the one I chose. It's beautiful and extremely functional. It does have a co-sleeper option, but according to my research it's not encouraged.

Before registering, I read up a lot on infant sleeping options before baby was ready for the crib. Here is some interesting information I found.

Be sure to buy a new crib or bassinet. If not buying new, be sure that the crib meets federal standards recently put out. These standards and approved features can be found on www. jpma.org. Many products you buy will also come with a stamp from JPMA and that is important to look for when buying.

Never sleep with baby in bed with you for many reasons. First, adult bedding and mattresses are way too soft. Firm mattresses in bassinets and cribs help fight the possibility of SIDS. Also, over tired parents have been known to roll over on baby. With "baby exhaustion", some people have trouble awakening. Just recently, we heard of this scenerio on Tv and both children died. Lastly, baby can get caught in between the mattress and headboard of an adult bed.

Keep babies warm but not too warm. A light blanket or sleeper zip up outfit is plenty. Toys and comforters can heat up the bassinet or crib. This also leads to dangerous sleeping situations for infants.

The best case scenerio is to have baby sleep in your room until about 6 months of age in a new or regulated crib or bassinet.

Safe sleep is nothing to fool around with, so do your SIDS reasearch and buy carefully.